Number of swine flu deaths decreases,says health department

Even as swine flu deaths continue to make news,according to the figures released by the health department,the number of deaths due to swine flu has decreased in the last month.

Statistics showed that the number of deaths has decreased. For instance,from August 9 to 15,there were 27 deaths and 268 positive patients,from August 16 to 22,there were 19 deaths and 243 positive patients and from August 23 to 29,there were 15 deaths and 135 patients positive with H1N1 virus. The number of schoolchildren with the infection too has decreased in the same period from 99,63 to 46.

Dr Aarti Kinikar,Head of Department of Paediatrics at Sassoon Hospital said this year of 370 children examined for influenza- like illness,37 tested positive for H1N1. While four out of seven children on mechanical ventilation died,18 who were given non-invasive ventilation survived.

Says Dr Ujwal Rao,Deputy Medical Superintendent of Jehangir hospital,“Patients are completely overwhelmed when they survive despite being incubated and attached to a ventilator for more than 15 days. It is like coming out of death’s grip. Since August last year we have ventilated 150 patients out of which ten succumbed to the virus and the rest survived,” ,says Rao.

“For the family that sees their child going into respiratory distress,it’s truly a miracle when the patient does walk out of the ICU and goes home,” said Dr Sharad Agharkhedkar,chief of the city unit of the Indian Medical Association who has treated three swine flu patients who survived after being on ventilator for over 15 days. He said there was a herd immunity now as people have been exposed to the virus for a year.