A NRI from Gujarat died from swine flu in Ahmedabad today, as PM Manmohan Singh ordered the health ministry to co-ordinate action with state governments to control the virus.
A NRI from Gujarat died from swine flu in Ahmedabad today, taking the death toll in the country to four and sparking fresh concerns, as prime minister Manmohan Singh ordered the health ministry to co-ordinate action with state governments to control the virus.
Three patients were in a critical condition in Maharashtra which closed down all education institutions in worst-hit Pune for a week. Several schools in Mumbai and neighbouring Navi Mumbai were also shut down as a precautionary measure.
Shaken by the rise in cases of swine flu which has claimed three lives in his state, chief minister Ashok Chavan said his government was considering allowing private hospitals to treat the patients. The government's police constables recruitment drive would be postponed in view of the swine flu situation, he said.
The Delhi Cabinet also reviewed the situation and said schools should not close down without consulting the government with chief minister Sheila Dikshit saying nothing should be done that will create panic.
Praveen Patel(43), who came from Atlanta in US 10 days back, succumbed to the H1N1 virus at 1.30 AM at Ahmedabad civil hospital to become the first swine flu victim in Gujarat. His wife was also being treated at the same hospital.
With swine flu cases rising to about 800, Singh stepped in and reviewed the situation with health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Singh asked Azad to ensure his ministry co-ordinates with state governments on efforts to contain its spread and set up a panel of experts to correctly disseminate information on H1N1 virus.
Azad told the prime minister that the country had enough stocks of Tamiflu tablets used to treat swine flu.
"Consignments of one lakh (Tamiflu) tablets have been flown to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore," he told reporters.
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