2 more swine flu deaths,four in three days

Two swine flu deaths were reported in the city on Friday.

Fourth swine flu death in three days has led the National Institute of Virology (NIV) to closely study and analyse the genome of the H1N1 virus. Deputy director of NIV Dr Vidya Arankalle said the institute has received several samples and they were being sequenced to understand the characteristics of the virus that has struck again after a gap of one and a half years.

On Friday,Shubangi Kulkarni (58) from Ghorpadi gaon became the third swine flu victim in three days. She was a diabetic and a patient of hypertension,said Dr Sham Satpute,assistant medical officer of health at Pune Municipal Corporation and nodal officer in charge of swine flu. She was unwell from March 8 and was treated by a private practioner till March 12 after which she became serious and was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. She was given Tamiflu on March 14 but by then her condition had worsened and she succumbed on Friday morning,doctors said.

Amruta Joshi (10),who was born with Downs syndrome was unwell since March 8. Doctors said she had not taken any medicine. She was admitted to Bharati Hospital on March 15 where she died on Friday morning.

Treatment was delayed in both the cases.

District civil surgeon Dr Vinayak More said since March 1 there were 34 swine flu cases with five persons on ventilator support at Prayag,KEM,Aditya Birla and Global Hospitals.

A total of 13 patients have been successfully treated,four are being treated on an OPD basis and the remaining nine have been admitted to hospitals.

A meeting of experts from National Institute of Virology,government medical colleges and others will be held in Mumbai on Saturday to emphasise that immediate action was the need of the hour.

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