Swine Flu Claims 26 Lives In Maharashtra Since January, State On High Alert!
16 people have died of swine flu in Maharashtra in the first 12 days of this month taking the H1N1 toll to 26 in the state this year so far. Of the 26 casualties Pune city has again recorded maximum nine deaths followed by Aurangabad city with four Pimpri-Chinchwad and Solapur with three each. Health authorities have appealed to citizens to take precautionary measures.
In a sudden rise, 16 people have died of swine flu in Maharashtra in the first 12 days of this month, taking the H1N1 toll to 26 in the state this year, so far. Five swine flu patients, including three from Pune and one each from Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur, are in a critical condition and have been put on ventilator support.
BCCL/Representational Image
A total of 101 people have tested positive for the disease in the state, including 50 from Pune city and 13 from Pimpri-Chinchwad, 11 from Nashik and four each from Kolhapur and Aurangabad. Sporadic cases have also been recorded in Mumbai (2) and Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (1).
Of the 26 casualties, Pune city has again recorded maximum nine deaths, followed by Aurangabad city with four, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Solapur with three each. In Pune, state-run Sassoon Hospital also recorded two deaths.
Reuters/Representational Image
In view of the spurt, health authorities have appealed to citizens to take precautionary measures. "We have instructed health officials to intensify screening and surveillance. We have also told them to vaccinate patients with underlying medical conditions against swine flu. There is no need to panic. People should continue to take precautions in terms of basic sanitation practices like frequent hand-washing, good diet and healthy habits. People with co-morbid conditions should be more vigilant," Kanchan Jagtap, joint commissioner, state health department, told TOI.
State health officials have intensified screening of patients having influenza-like illness. "As many as 3.49 lakh patients have been screened since January 1. Among the screened, 3,377 patients, who were suspected to have contracted swine flu, were administered Tamiflu," said a state health official.
Reuters/Representational Image
Experts attributed the rise in swine flu cases to the huge gap in day-night temperatures. "Temperature fluctuations enable infections to enter the body easily as the body loses its ability to adapt readily to an environment that is constantly changing from being too hot to being too cold and vice-versa. Those with a weak immune system or with underlying medical conditions like diabetes and hypertension develop complications," S T Pardeshi, chief of the health department at the Pune Municipal Corporation, said.
