Modi holds review meeting on swine flu

Following the first swine flu fatality in the state, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi today held a meeting with health department officials to review the situation.

Modi also wrote a letter to Union health minister Gulam Nabi Azad requesting him to supply more kits for testing blood samples of suspected swine flu cases and also issue guidelines for involving private hospitals in testing and treatment of patients affected by the virus.

"CM held a review meeting regarding the preparedness of the state health authorities in tackling the swine flu," health minister Jaynarayan Vyas said.

He said the health department has set up a task force, consisting of senior officials, to ensure that adequate measures are taken by all government hospitals to treat such cases.

A 43-year-old NRI, who had come here from Atlanta in the US ten days back, died today, becoming the fourth fatality of the deadly swine flu in the country.

Praveen Patel died of the highly infectious disease at 1.30 am at the city civil hospital, the first to succumb to the ailment in Gujarat, state health secretary Ravi Saxena said.