Deadly virus refuses to quit Maximum City; 2 more die

Swine flu claims 18 city goers this year, total 816 cases registered so far

The city reported 71 new swine flu cases in last two days of which two Mumbaikars have succumbed to the killer disease taking the death toll to 18 this year. This takes the total figure of Mumbai's swine flu cases to 816 so far this year, of which 114 are from outside the city. The deceased are identified as residents of Girgaon and Masjid Bunder and the cause of their deaths have been reported as multi-organ failure in H1N1 case.

The first death was reported of a 67-year-old woman from Girgaon. She was admitted to Wockhardt Hospital on February 26. She had breast cancer and was getting chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions in the hospital. Due to the above complications, she succumbed to the disease on Wednesday after she suffered from multi-organ failure.

The second victim was a 76-year-old man who was first admitted to Noor Hospital in Masjid Bunder, but was subsequently shifted to Kasturba hospital on February 27. He was a known case of diabetes mellitus, but his health deteriorated further when he was diagnosed with pneunominitis. Due to co-morbid factors, he suffered from multi-organ dysfunction and breathed his last on Thursday.

The current cold weather is conducive to influenza virus and attacks people with weak-immunity system. According to the BMC health department, people with co-morbid factors and various ailments such as hypertension, diabetes are at a high risk. Therefore, these people have been advised to stay indoors, follow handhygiene and guidelines given by the doctors.

Dr. Tanu Singhal, Infectious diseases expert at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, said, “The swine flu cases will drop only with the rising temperatures. Unfortunately, at this moment, Nature is not in our favour. Therefore, we need to be more cautious and take necessary precautions.”