Most H1N1 victims in high-risk category

Meanwhile,with the city registering its 41st swine flu death on Saturday,the district collector issued orders that teachers of all the schools in the district should keep a check on the students and send back the child if he/she has any flu-like symptoms.

Dalvi said even at colleges the professors should try to prevent the transmission of the virus. He said previously only those schools that reported cases were following this directive,which is now applicable to all. “All schools and colleges in the district will follow this and the onus lies on the teacher and professor at the school and college levels,” he said.

On Saturday,Ankush Phale (40) became the 41st victim of the H1N1 virus in the city. A resident of Chikalgaon Moshi,Phale showed swine flu symptoms on August 31 and was admitted to a private hospital in the Paud area. Later,he was shifted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and then taken to Sassoon Hospital. He developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and was put on ventilator there. He passed away on Saturday at 12.30 pm.

Meanwhile,parents of B K Birla School that had reported 17 confirmed cases of swine flu of the 23 suspected cases,held a press conference on the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the collector for not issuing orders for the closure of the school.

To this,Dalvi said he has asked the Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Kumar for an inquiry report in 10 days. “The area does not fall under our jurisdiction and so I have asked the CEO to conduct the necessary inquiry,” said Kumar.

As of now,19 persons are in ICU in the district while five of them are on ventilator. In all,7,627 persons were screened on Friday,said the district collector.