Two out of three victims test negative

Doctors at the state government-run Sassoon General Hospital in Pune want the National Institute of Virology (NIV) to “decode the mystery” of the deaths of 36 patients whose samples tested negative for the Influenza A infection.

All 36 people were admitted to the hospital since August on the suspicion of being H1N1 cases. “We have not been able to find any definite clue about the death of so many people whose samples  tested negative,” said Sassoon Hospital dean Dr Arun Jamkar.

Of the 93 confirmed deaths due to swine flu in the city, 47 were at the government-run hospital while the rest were at other healthcare establishments designated to treat such cases.

Jamkar said the hospital has so far recorded 83 deaths, of which 47 were swine flu deaths. “The samples of the remaining 36, who were admitted with flu-like symptoms and were termed as suspected cases, have tested negative for H1N1. They also did not suffer from dengue or any other bacterial infection,” he said. The large number of deaths due to “an unknown factor” has raised concern.

“We have asked the NIV to study the samples for all types of influenza and see if there is a common link in these deaths,” Jamkar said. The state health officials and the directorate of medical education and research have also been informed.

Head of the chest and tuberculosis department at the Sassoon Hospital Dr S Ghorpade said, “We have to check for any histopathological changes or atypical pathogens, and have sought the NIV’s help.”

Deputy director of NIV Dr Mandeep Chaddha said that samples needed testing again to find the exact cause of death. “There are many kinds of viruses and parainfluenza,” she said, adding that all samples are currently being tested only for the H1N1 virus.