Pune swine flu toll climbs to 97

The swine flu toll in the city rose to 97 with the death of a 29-year-old youth, health officials said today.

The victim, who sucummbed to the virus on Sunday, was a resident of Wagholi, 20 km from here and had been hopping in and out of different hospitals before he was admitted to government-run Sassoon hospital on October 30 after testing positive for H1N1 virus, they said.

The State health machinery has now stepped up an awareness drive stressing importance of early detection of swine flu symptoms with growing concern over a speculated "second wave" of the pandemic subsequent to the onset of winter.

Meanwhile, market sources reported a distinct spurt in the demand for citrus fruit such as oranges and sweet limes from consumers in view of their resistance-enhancing properties. This has resulted in a steep rise of about 20% in fruit prices.

A function was held in the city by some organisations to felicitate medical staff involved in the treatment of swine flu patients in various hospitals as a token of social gratitude with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Mahesh Zagde appealing to citizens to report suspected cases without any delay to save lives.

Pune as of date accounts for 97 swine flu deaths out of 203 reported so far in Maharashtra.

Most of city schools have opted against holding annual gatherings to avoid assemblies.