20 people test positive, 9 have been quarantined at home.
The swine flu toll reached 10 on Friday after the civic authorities announced that two people had died of the virus over the past two days. On Friday, 20 people including four children, tested positive for swine flu.
A 52-year-old man from Goregaon was admitted to a private hospital on Wednesday and he died within 24 hours of admission, a civic official said. Immediately after admission, he was put on Tamiflu but he soon developed severe breathlessness and fever.
An 80-year-old woman from Powai was admitted to a private hospital on June 4. Her throat swabs were taken on the same day. She was put on Tamiflu on June 5 and she died on June 8. “It seems both the patients were late in seeking medical help,” Dr Guirish Ambe, BMC’s executive health officer, said. “They could not even complete the full course of Tamiflu.”
Of the 20 people who tested positive for swine flu, nine have been home quarantined while the others are being treated in various hospitals in the city, Ambe said. Both had developed co morbid conditions, the doctor said.
Civic hospitals have been instructed to watch out for patients with swine flu symptoms and start Tamiflu immediately, if needed. “Tamiflu works best if started within 36 hours of infection. So, we are trying to identify the symptoms early and start treatment fast,” Ambe said.
Health experts are studying the link between co morbid condition and the H1N1 virus. “We are analysing every case to understand the trend of the virus and its effect on humans,” Dr DS Dakhure, director, Directorate of Health Services (DHS), said. “As far as tackling swine flu is concerned, we are following the same path as last year.” The threat was bigger last year, he said, but this year, the state is better equipped to deal with the virus.
The medical education department will soon start a survey of patients to understand the changed effects of the virus. “Earlier fever was one of the main symptoms.
“Now, more than 30% of the patients do not have fever at all,” Dr Pravin Shingare, joint director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), said. “They have symptoms like sore throat, body ache, and breathlessness.” Based on the
survey results, the health authorities will issue a fresh set of guidelines to doctors for dealing with swine flu patients.
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