Swine flu cases in the city nearly tripled to more than 600 in February as compared to the previous month, an official data revealed.
Swine flu cases in the city nearly tripled to more than 600 in February as compared to the previous month, an official data revealed.
According to figures released by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), 612 swine flu cases were confirmed in the city as of February 24, almost three times higher than the 213 cases that were reported in January.
Though swine flu cases shot up in the entire state in February, the increase in Ahmedabad was much higher than the overall rate in the state. According to state health department data, 1,875 swine flu cases were confirmed in the state in February so far, 254% higher than 737 H1N1 cases confirmed at the end of January.
Ahmedabad accounted for close to one-thirds of the total 2,612 swine flu cases reported in the state in the current season. Ahmedabad also topped in terms of swine flu deaths, accounting for 19 fatalities so far. AMC data showed that as against just two in January, the number of patients who succumbed to the H1N1 virus in the city shot up to 17 in February, an increase of 750%.
A 48-year-old female resident of Saraspur, a 50-year-old woman from Sola, and a 50-year-old male from Bapunagar were the three latest casualties of swine flu, according to AMC officials.
The rate of deaths in Ahmedabad city was also much higher than in the state. According to health department data, 34 patients had succumbed to H1N1 virus in January, while the number rose to 52 as of February 24.
Officials attributed the high number of swine flu cases in Ahmedabad to high population density as well as prevalence of weather than aided spread of H1N1 virus. Dr Kaushik Upadhyay, state rapid response team physician, said, "Ahmedabad is a city with high population density. This means if one person were to suffer from a contagious disease, it is far more likely to spread.
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Ahmedabad accounted for close to one-thirds of the total 2,612 swine flu cases reported in the state in the current season. Ahmedabad also topped in terms of swine flu deaths, accounting for 19 fatalities so far. AMC data showed that as against just two in January, the number of patients who succumbed to the H1N1 virus in the city shot up to 17 in February, an increase of 750%.
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