India reported its first death due to influenza A H1N1, or swine flu — that of a 14-year-old girl in Pune — on Monday afternoon. Dr Pradeep Awate, in charge of the state health department cell for H1N1, confirmed the death, saying the girl’s condition had deteriorated on Saturday. The standard IX student, Reeda Shaikh, was admitted to Jehangir hospital with non-specific symptoms on July 27.
The hospital authorities said, “Unlike other H1N1 cases, she had neither a history of foreign travel nor close contact with an infected person. After admission, the patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly and she was put on a ventilator. Her samples were sent for testing, in which a positive result was obtained for H1N1.”
“She was, by then, not in a condition to be shifted. Senior consultants were treating her, but she did not respond and died on Monday,” the hospital said in a statement.
Union health secretary Naresh Dayal confirmed that it was the first confirmed swine flu death in India. Dayal also claimed that the death was due to delay in treatment.
