Pune: Swine Flu claimed its fifth victim in
the last six days following the death of a 60-year-old man in
a city hospital, civic health officials said on Tuesday.
The victim, one Balasaheb Paigude, who died last night,
was being treated in the isolation ward of the hospital for
the last three days after being tested positive for H1N1 virus
which has claimed fatalities in the city after a year's gap.
Two more patients are reported to be in a serious
condition needing ventilator support.
A 48-year-old woman had succumbed to the virus on March
14 in the first fatal case of the virus in the city since
April 2011. About 40 persons were being treated for the
infection currently after an apparent revival of the virus due
to climate fluctuations and extended winter, officials said.
"The virus and its transmission rate can subside once the
summer temperatures go up," an official said adding that
surveillance measures and scanning for suspected cases has
been stepped up by the authorities.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 15:39