Bangalore's swine flu toll rises to 36

Two more swine flu deaths were reported from Bangalore, taking the toll to 36 in the city and 43 in Karnataka, health officials said Monday. The two latest victims were women.

A 29-year-old pregnant woman succumbed to the influenza A (H1N1) virus four days ago at a private hospital. She was 20 weeks into her pregnancy.

The second victim was a 24-year-old woman, who was suffering from diabetes. She died at a private hospital on Friday.

The test results for both victims showing they had been infected by the swine flu arrived only on Sunday, a health official said here.

In order to find the exact reasons behind the large number of swine flu related deaths in the state, a group of experts under the guidance of V. Ravi, head of the neuro-virology department of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), will conduct a clinical audit.

“The experts will study in detail each swine flu death case in the state and find out the exact causes of each death. The study will throw light whether there was a delay in admission or treatment, and look into the clinical condition, among others,” T.S. Cheluvaraj, joint director of the health and family welfare department, told

IANS .

Meanwhile, 17 more people tested positive for the influenza A (H1N1) virus in the state. Fourteen of them were in Bangalore, two in Bijapur and one in Mysore. So far, 587 people across Karnataka have tested positive for the virus.