Swine flu toll 427 with 7 more deaths
POSTED October 22, 2009 - 10:49 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on October 22, 2009 - 11:12
Of the latest seven deaths, one death each was reported from Delhi, Goa and Kerala. Four deaths that had occurred in Maharashtra earlier were added to the swine flu death toll after the victims’ laboratory tests of the viral came positive Wednesday.
State-wise death toll
Maharashtra now accounts for 183 deaths that have occurred due to the influenza, while 112 people have lost their lives in Karnataka. The dreaded virus has sniffed life out of 44 people in Andhra Pradesh and 39 in Gujarat.
16 fatalities have been reported from Delhi, 12 from Kerala, 4 each from Tamil Nadu, Goa and Haryana and 3 each from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The influenza has accounted for 1 death each in Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Infection tally crosses 13,000
61 new cases of the highly contagious flu were also reported from various parts of the country. With these additions, the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus reported so far in India has risen to 13,030.
“Till date, samples from 68,919 people have been tested for the influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country. At least 13,030 of them have been found positive,” a statement issued from the health ministry said.
Of the latest 61 infections, 12 were reported from Kerala, 11 from the national capital Delhi. Tamil Nadu, too, reported 11 new swine flu infections while 10 fresh cases were reported from the worst hit state of Maharashtra.
The southern state of Karnataka reported 7 new swine flu infections, while 4 cases each in Uttar Pradesh and Puducherry were reported. A lone case was reported from Haryana and another one was reported from Andhra Pradesh.
Pune gears up for 2nd swine flu wave
Pune, which emerged as the epicenter of the swine flu in India, has upped the ante on preparedness as experts warn that a more belligerent 2nd wave of the swine flu is likely to strike in winters.
Apprehensions are that close to a third of the population will be affected in the second wave of the H1N1 influenza. Possibility of the virus disrupting schools, workplaces and hospitals is definitely on the cards.
"Though the timing of the second phase is not certain, we need to be on our toes. We have started the preparations to mitigate the projected threat. We have already sent letters to all educational institutes and district administrations across the state to collect data which will go into preparing the action plan," joint director of the state health department, Ashok Mehta, stated.
