One more patient has died due to swine flu in Dehradun while six new cases of the disease were reported by the district health department on Monday. The health department on the day confirmed that a five-year-old boy, a resident of Kali Ki Dhal of Rishikesh had died due to swine flu. The death of the boy occurred on August 9 at Himalayan hospital Jollygrant. With it the number of deaths due to swine flu this year has climbed to 13. The health department also reported six new patients suffering from the infection of H1 N1 virus on Monday.
What is worrisome that more and more children are being detected with virus of H1N1 this season.
The medical experts are of the view that the children and the old are more susceptible for the disease on account of weak immunity.
The district health department has so far reported 73 cases of the disease out of which 35 cases were reported in July while 22 cases have been reported so far in first fortnight of August.
The District in-charge of integrated disease Surveillance Programme, Dr Puneet Chandra said that reports of 18 patients were received on Monday from the National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) out of which six were found positive. He disclosed that 13 patients suffering from the disease are undergoing treatment in different hospitals of the State.
Of them six are admitted in the Himalayan hospital Jollygrant, two each in Max hospital and Associated hospital of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) while one patient each is undergoing treatment at Synergy, Vaish and Kailash hospitals respectively.
Swine flu is a viral disease, its virus is also called H1 N1 and its genetic analysis has shown that it has originated from the animals specially pigs hence it is called Swine flu. The virus spreads from person to person similar to that of seasonal influenza.
Meanwhile, the health authorities facing challenge due on unseasonal swine flu spurt are in for some relief as dengue which normally assumes epidemic proportions during this time of the year is very much contained.
The department has so far reported 12 cases of the disease and most of them are from Haridwar district. The department has so far collected samples of 1,893 patients this year out of which only 12 patients have been found positive in the Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (ElISA) test which is the confirmatory test for dengue.
Dengue is spread by Aedes Aezypti or tiger mosquito. It has characteristic stripes on its body due which it is called tiger mosquito. It strikes during day time and experts suggest that people should wear full sleeved clothes to prevent mosquito bite.