Swine Flu scare grips city as death toll reaches nine

The Swine flu death toll in Pune has reached 9, with the death of a 52-year-old resident of Sadashiv Peth, as per Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health officials. With the rising number of Swine flu cases across the country, the health authorities are on high alert.

While 46 cases have been detected since January 1, five patients affected by the H1N1 virus still remain critical. Officials of the PMC health department have said that they will take all the measures necessary to control the spread of the disease in the city. Talking to iamin, T Pardeshi, chief medical officer, PMC shared that they have been regularly screening people at airports and since January 1, over 18,575 people were screened out of which 46 tested positive for the disease. PMC is starting awareness programs so that people take extra precautions.

Also read: Dial BMC’s helpline for queries on Swine Flu

Explaining the symptoms of swine flu, Pardeshi added, "One of the main reasons that the H1N1 virus thrives is because of the persistent cold wave in the country. One of the first few symptoms of swine flu is usually body ache, running nose, sore throat and cold. We request people to have warm fluids and eat healthy to prevent the disease.”

For the longer version of the report, click here