Panic sets in after death of another St Anne’s student

Even as the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital authorities said preliminary examination showed that Rachana had gastroenteritis,they preferred to send her to Sassoon General Hospital as H1N1 virus was prevalent in Pune. She was also a student of St Anne’s School — which had reported the country’s first swine flu death — and hence the authorities did not want to take any chances,said Dr Timothy Jonas,medical superintendent at Adventist Hospital.

The Sassoon Hospital casualty ward reported her “dead on arrival” and sent her body for autopsy. The girl’s relatives,when contacted,told The Indian Express that Rachana had been fasting as part of Paryushan Parva — an annual religious festival of the Jains. The festival is celebrated with fasting,reading of scriptures and observing silence.

“On Wednesday morning,she woke up and complained of giddiness and then collapsed,” one of the relatives said.

The medical history as narrated by her parents showed that she had been unwell and had vomited blood. “She was brought to the out-patient department in a critical state and was practically gasping for breath,” said Jonas,while pointing out that on preliminary examination she had gastroenteritis. “However,with H1N1 virus prevalent in Pune,we decided to send her to Sassoon Hospital.”

However,Rachana’s death came at a time when the school had just reopened after the flu break.

Rachana’s parents also took their seven-year-old son from St Vincent’s School during the morning hours and parents were seen asking teachers about the safety of their wards. “We have told parents that if they do not feel comfortable to send their children,please don’t do so,” one of the teachers said.

There was a sense of panic among the health officials also. Dr Ashok Ladda,joint director of Health Services,said he was briefly told about Rachana’s death but the panic was more because she was a student of St Anne’s School.

Ladda said Rachana was in a bad shape when she was reported to the casualty at Adventist Hospital and had cardio-respiratory and pulmonary distress.

H1N1: 1 more dies,toll reaches 25

The H1N1 toll in the city reached 25 on Wednesday with the death of 35-year-old Shabana Kadar Shaikh of Kasewadi,Bhawani Peth,at Sassoon General Hospital. Dr Ashok Ladda,joint director of Health Services,said Shabana was admitted to the hospital on August 22 with complaints of breathlessness. Shabana,who has a history of rheumatic heart disease and mitral stenosis,succumbed to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in the morning.

Ladda also said the Centre had appointed a team of 33 epidemiologists to monitor the pandemic — especially in Pune and other districts of Maharashtra. They will be taking charge in a week’s time.

Meanwhile,7,916 patients were screened while 376 persons were given Tamiflu. As many as 24 tested positive for the virus.

On Tuesday,57 patients were admitted to various hospitals,of whom 17 are in intensive care units and seven critical.