India swine flu death tally reaches 165
POSTED September 12, 2009 - 16:12 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Sham Kamboj on September 13, 2009 - 10:03
As many as 187 fresh swine flu infections were also reported from various parts of the country, taking the total number of those infected to 5,796.
“Till date, samples from 27,633 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in various government and private laboratories across the country, and 5,796 of them have been found positive,” a health ministry statement revealed.
Spike in deaths in Karnataka
Out of the 7 deaths reported on Friday, 6 were reported from the southern state of Karnataka.
The 7th swine flu death of the day in the country was reported from the northern state of Haryana. The death that occurred in Faridabad is the states first swine flu fatality.
4 more deaths were reported from Karnataka on Saturday morning taking the death count due to the influenza to 57 in the state.
The latest 10 deaths in Karnataka include 7 from Bangalore and one death each from Davangere, Bijapur and Kolar.
Meanwhile, 22 fresh laboratory confirmed cases were also reported from the state on Friday. Thus, the total infection tally for the state stands at 708.
One of the latest victims in Bangalore includes a pregnant woman who succumbed to the influenza on Friday.
Shashidhar Buggi, the director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD), said, “A 20-year-old pregnant woman succumbed to swine flu as she had arrived at a very critical stage. The woman was 36 weeks into pregnancy and was to deliver shortly.”
With the aim of providing some relief to suspected swine flu patients, the state health state health minister B. Sreeramulu said that the government has decided to bear the expense of swab test which amounts to Rs.2, 000.
“A government order had been issued to all private hospitals asking them not to charge patients for swab test. They should collect the charges from the government,” Sreeramulu assured.
“However, government would not bear treatment expenses of H1N1 patients, but would bear only swab test charges,' he added.
The scenario in Maharashtra
The state of Maharashtra has literally sunk in the H1N1. Pune, which has emerged as the epicenter of the current swine flu virus has reported 40 deaths due to the influenza so far. Another 18 deaths have been reported from Mumbai.
Till Sept. 3, the influenza had sniffed life out of 57 persons in the state. Since the Ganpati immersion, 20 more people have lost their lives to the virus, taking the total death toll to 77
Additional chief secretary (health) Sharwaree Gokhale admitted that the situation in the state was “grim”. The majority of deaths are in the urban areas of Pune and Mumbai. “Our fear has come true,” Gokhale added.
