Ahmedabad: North zone worst hit by swine flu, health department data shows

The city is heading towards another bad year of swine flu, recording more than 1,178 cases and 23 deaths since the beginning of the year. With the rising number of cases, the north zone has become the hotspot of the disease. While among all the wards, Nikol has reported the highest number of the cases.

North zone has recorded the highest number of the case which is 263. While the south-west zone has been recorded the lowest number of positive swine flu cases which is 86. The data analysis of the swine flu cases was done by the health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), it was revealed that the north zone has the highest number of the cases this year.

"This is an airborne viral illness. So we can't predict the reason why more cases have appeared in one pocket. But the fact is each zone has positive cases. People who have low immunity are prone to this virus," said Dr Bhavin Solanki, in-charge medical officer of health, AMC.

"Also, now this flu is seasonal flu. Looking at the pattern of the cases being reported we can say that during a change of season there is a pick in the cases. Another thing we have observed is that the cases are rising at every alternate year. There is a possibility that post monsoon we may see a high number of swine flu positive cases in the city," added Dr Solanki.

Since 2009, the virus has been circulating in the city and there is a rising pattern of it at every alternate year. So far the worst years were 2015 and 2017 when the city had reported 2209 and 2647 cases respectively. The health department said that since January 1, 3,572 patients have recovered from swine flu, while 422 are undergoing treatment. The swine flu cases this year touched 4,115, while the death toll rose to 121.

44 NEW CASES

Forty-four more swine flu cases were reported in the state on Thursday, while one patient died, the health department said. Eleven new cases were reported in Surat city, the highest in the state, followed by Ahmedabad city with ten