Swine flu fears go up as four more in Mumbai test positive

Four persons tested positive for swine flu on Sunday taking the number of positive cases in the city to 75 in this month.

The number of swine flu cases has gone up this month with the onset of monsoon as compared to the span from January to May when the total number of cases was 33.

On Saturday, a nine-month-old girl from Nallaspora succumbed to swine flu taking the death toll to seven. Earlier, a one-month-old boy had died of swine flu, and in both the cases, the civic authorities said there was delay in getting the patient to the hospital.

“We are spreading awareness so that any person with symptoms should immediately see a doctor rather than popping pills at home,” said Dr Girish Ambe, executive health officer, BMC.

Considering the spurt, the civic body has urged all the doctors to take the swine flu vaccine to curb the spread on the H1N1 virus in the city.

Parel’s KEM hospital is also holding a session this week to inoculate as many doctors as possible.  “So far, 225 doctors in the city have been inoculated,” said Daksha Shah, head of BMC’s epidemiology cell.

The experts are also planning to vaccinate all pregnant women and the children who come under the high-risk group.

Studies have confirmed that the vaccine is not harmful to the pregnant mother and the foetus and it may be soon used to stop the spread of the virus.