Swine flu hits Lucknow: 5-yr-old tests positive without symptoms

SGPGI Chief Medical Officer Dr A K Shukla confirmed the development and visited the residence of Hasan’s grandfatherAmmar Rizvi,who lives in Coroonation Apartments at Gautam Palli near Park Road.

Shukla has been trying to persuade the family members to allow the boy to be shifted to a hospital.

“Symptoms of the disease are not visible in the child. The child would undergo the test for the second time,” Shukla said. “We want to get the child shifted to the hospital.Weare trying to convince the familymembers for this,” he added.

Shukla said he would also get the relatives tested for swine flu.

“My grandchild is fine; he does not even have fever.

We are taking care of him at home. The child,along with his father Suleman,came to Lucknow from London on July 27. Just to be on the safer side,wegot him tested at the SGPGI,which confirmed he has tested positive for swine flu,” saidAmmar.

Before Hasan,two other suspected cases of swine flu were reported in Balrampur Hospital,but tests came negative. “One Mohammed AslamfromRae Bareli,who returned fromSaudi Arabia on Saturday morning,and one Dr Neelam Mishra from Alambagh,who returned to Lucknow from Delhi on August 5,were tested for swine flu,” said Dr D P Mishra,the medical superintendent at the Hospital.

“Both tested negative,” said Dr TN Dhole of the SGPGI. Before this,Ashish Dhani,a Lucknow resident working in Pune,tested positive for swine flu there.

The other two cases were from Noida,in which samples were tested positive in Delhi.