Infant succumbs to swine flu in Mumbai, 13 more test positive

An 11-month-old baby boy from Bandra (East) succumbed to swine flu on Sunday taking the death toll to 11 since the onset of monsoon in June. On Tuesday, 13 more, including five children and a pregnant woman, tested positive.

The infant was diagnosed with Nephrotic syndrome (kidney disease) when he was four months old. Due to the increased infection in both his kidneys, he was admitted to the paediatric ward of Bhabha Hospital on June 9. “He was put on steroids due to his infection and loss of protein, which is common in such kidney diseases,” said Dr Sulbha Chirmule, medical superintendent, Bhabha Hospital, adding, that due to the steroids the child’s immunity was already low.

On July 8, the boy suddenly showed severe respiratory distress and he was shifted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

The doctors took his throat swabs and X-rays and he was put on Tamiflu the same day. “We got the reports on June 10 which showed that he was infected with the H1N1 virus. We immediately transferred him to Kasturba Hospital,” said Chirmule.

“The child had comorbid condition as he was on steroids,” said Dr Guirish Ambe, executive health officer, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC). Ambe said majority of deaths this year were related to comorbid conditions.

A total of 193 people have tested positive within 13 days of July and the virus has already claimed four lives. In June, the number of patients who tested positive was 100 and seven people succumbed to the disease.