H1N1 claims 7-month-old city girl

A seven-month-old girl from Mazgaon died of swine flu at a private hospital in Byculla early on Tuesday, making her the third H1N1 fatality in the city. The countrywide toll now stands at 27, while the count of confirmed cases has gone up to 2,104. Also, 98 of the 177 cases reported on Tuesday were from the city.

Modia Mohammed Shoeb Sheikh succumbed to H1N1 infection at Noor Hospital, where Thane’s Syeda Dorjiwala, 63, had died of swine flu a week ago.

Modia was admitted to the hospital on August 14 with fever, but her samples were sent for testing to Haffkine Research Institute, Parel, two days later. “The results came on the evening of August 16, and she was immediately put on Tamiflu syrup,” said additional municipal commissioner Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar.

“She had meningitis and excessive sleeping syndrome, but she had tested positive for H1N1,” Mhaiskar said, adding the girl had also developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and viral bronchopneumonia. “She died of complications arising out of swine flu,” Mhaiskar said.

Authorities at Noor Hospital refused to comment on why doctors took two days to send Modia’s samples for testing even though the child showed classic symptoms of influenza A (H1N1) such as fever, cold and breathlessness.

“We asked the family to get the Tamiflu syrup from Kasturba Hospital, and she was administered that,” a doctor from Noor Hospital said.

Civic health officials, however, claimed that panic was wearing off in the city as only 1,243 people turned up for screening on Tuesday. Seventeen confirmed cases were reported, taking the city’s count to 316.

“In the last 24 hours, only 20 samples have been collected for tests and four patients admitted in hospitals —3 at Kasturba and one at Siddharth,” said BMC’s executive health officer Dr Jayaraj Thanekar.

The civic body said 14 private hospitals have been supplied Tamiflu.

As of now, 46 patients, including suspected and confirmed H1N1 cases, are undergoing treatment in civic hospitals.

In the last two days, 220 patients, including 76 children, have tested positive for H1N1, Mhaiskar said. So far, 199 patients have been discharged after treatment, she said.

Private hospitals with Tamiflu stock
Bombay Hospital, Breach Candy, Harkisondas, Jagjeevanram, Hinduja Hospital, SL Raheja, Holy Spirit, Nanavati, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani, Inlacs, Godrej, Wockhardt and Hiranandani.