Karachi: Two more swine flu deaths have been
reported from Karachi, taking the toll due to the deadly virus
in the port city to six as health authorities insisted they
were taking steps to prevent an outbreak of the disease.
"Two more patients died from the flu in Karachi. One case
is that of a 55-year old man admitted to a private hospital on
December 17 in a citical condition. He later died while in
treatment," an official of the Swine flu surveillance cell
managed by the provincial government said.
The six deaths in Karachi have all been recorded in the
last two months with number of patients undergoing treatment
for the virus in different hospitals also increasing to 65
during the period.
The National Institute of Health, Islamabad, confirmed
ten more swine flu cases in the metropolis in the last 48
hours.
The government has announced that the first batch of
vaccines for the flu are due in Pakistan next month.
"We have also distributed the viral drugs effective for
treatment of Swine flu like Tamiflu close to thousands in
batches to government hospitals," an official said.
However, Tamiflu is being sold for Rs 1800 for a pack of
10 tablets in the open market putting it beyond reach of
majority of the population.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 22:01