Third swine flu death in Delhi, cases rise to 36

New Delhi: Swine flu claimed a third life in the national capital on Friday, but the Health department insisted there was nothing to panic and asked people to remain vigilant.

Five more persons tested positive for the virus, taking the number of cases to 36 in January alone, four more than the total number of cases recorded in entire 2014 in the city.

A 38-year-old woman from Uttam Nagar succumbed to the H1N1 virus at Ram Manohar Lohiya (RML) hospital in the wee hours.

"She was brought to the hospital in an extremely critical condition on January 4 and was on ventilator support. She died early this morning," H K Kar, medical superintendent of RML hospital, said.

The figures, according to health experts, are alarming as in January alone a total 36 cases of swine flu have been reported in Delhi whereas in entire 2014, only 32 positive cases were reported from the national capital.

The new cases are of a 77-year-old man (Laxmi Nagar) and a two-year-old boy (Mehrauli), both undergoing treatment at RML.

Besides, a 67-year-old man (IP extension), a 52-year-old man (Rajouri garden) and a 4-year-old girl (Punjabi Bagh) were found positive for H1N1 virus and are undergoing treatment in private hospitals.

Union Health Secretary Luv Verma urged people to remain calm and vigilant. He said that the Health Ministry is planning to buy more medicines, even as he maintained that there are enough stocks.

"Swine flu spreads mainly by human to human contact and so individuals have to be vigilant and responsible. If anyone develops flu like symptoms they should isolate themselves and get themselves tested," Verma added.

The Health Department is closely monitoring the situation and has started an orientation programme for the staff of all the 22 designated hospitals including five private hospitals and directed them to follow the standard operating procedure for treatment of swine flu.