Swine flu claimed its first victim in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday with a 55-year-old woman succumbing to the fever while 29 persons tested positive for the disease in Tamil Nadu.
The woman who died at Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla was referred to the hospital from Sarkaghat in Mandi district after she complained of fever and cough and tested positive for H1N1, Medical Superintendent Dr KS Rana said.
“She was brought here at a very late stage when the lungs normally get affected and could not be saved” he added.
This was the first case of swine flu and first casualtyin the state and as a precaution, all cases of fever and coughare being tested for swine flu virus, he added.
As a precaution, the State Surveillance unit has alreadysounded an alert in the state and directions have been issuedto all the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) and Medical Collegesto remain vigilant and test all influenza like cases for swineflu.
Meanwhile, sources in IGMC said five samples were testedfor swine flu on Friday but they tested negative.
Twenty-nine persons have so far tested positive for thedisease in Tamil Nadu, Health and Family Welfare Minister DrVS Vijay said. However, instances of the virus are not”endemic but sporadic,” he said asking people not to panic.
Those who have tested positive mainly hail from thedistricts of Chennai, Coimbatore and Tirupur, he toldreporters in Chennai.
A 75 year-old farmer from Tirupur district died due toswine flu last week. Twenty-six of his relatives have beenadministered with preventive vaccine, the minister said.
–PTI