Samples of 13 suspected swine flu cases sent for testing

More than a dozen patients suspected to be suffering from Swine Flu have been kept in isolation at the civil hospital here and their samples have been sent for testing, sources said today.

About 13 people including two women are being treated in the isolation ward after they showed symptoms of the viral infection, hospital sources told PTI. The blood and swab samples of all these patients have been sent for testing to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) and the results are awaited, they said. So far 16 people, including the city's first Swine Flu victim, Dr Rupesh Gangurde (28), have been detected with the disease symptoms, they said.

"Earlier, two persons--- Vinod Burkul and Hrishikesh Kulkarni were discharged from the hospital after they tested negative for HINI," sources said.

Meanwhile, a 25-year-old Pune student identified as Prashant Tiwari, was treated in Malegaon civil hospital yesterday after he complained of cold, fever and cough, doctors said.
      
Tiwari was returning to Uttarakhand via Indore in a bus when he stepped down at Malegaon to get himself checked for the virus as he was suffering from fever, senior doctor from Malegoan hospital, Dr Jadhav said. His samples have been sent to NIV, Jadhav added.