Hyderabad: The scourge of swine flu, which had terrified citizens earlier but seemed to have abated in recent years, appears to have returned with renewed vigour. Two more persons died of swine flu on Thursday at Gandhi Hospital, and 10 persons were tested positive for the disease.
One of the persons who died was a 50-year-old man who was suffering from asthma. He had a severe case of swine flu and was given treatment for 15 days.
The toll now stands at 13 this year; two persons had died of swine flu on Wednesday. The total number of swine flu cases now stands at 160.
Health officials are receiving more than 150 samples per day for the last 15 days, as an increasing number of people are coming to hospitals with symptoms of cough and cold.
The Institute of Preventive Medicine, where testing is done free, states that the number of samples are high but the number of positive cases has come down.
A senior government health officer said, “The number of positive cases in the state has come down from 23 to 10 to 15 per day. But deaths due to complications are a cause for concern.”
“Those who come with severe symptoms are collapsing, despite aggressive treatment, which means that those who are immune-compromised must take extra care during this season,” he said.
Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences director Dr M. Manohar said, “Two units in Gandhi Hospital and NIMS have been set up for swine flu patients and we are ensuring that proper care is given to all of them.”
General physician Dr K.J. Reddy said that people having cold and cough were refusing to be isolated. Rest with a balanced diet and a properly hydrated body will help fight the viral load in the body. “People often neglect this advise, aggravating the situation.”
