A 27-year-old pregnant lady who tested positive for H1N1 influenza on Monday was declared critical by the civic authorities. The woman, who has been on a ventilator since Monday afternoon, delivered a stillborn baby in the evening.
The Mira-Bhayander resident was brought in a critical condition to Kasturba on Sunday afternoon. “She had full-blown Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. And she was close to her delivery date,” Dr Pradeep Awate, the in-charge of state’s swine flu cell, said. “She delivered a stillborn child around 5.30pm on Monday.” The doctor, however, said that the stillbirth was not related to her swine flu infection. But he added that the matter had to be investigated.
Dr Jayaraj Thanekar, the executive health officer, said pregnant women were vulnerable to influenza H1N1. As soon as the lady was admitted to Kasturba, her throat swabs were sent for testing. “Her reports were sent to us as her case was given top priority. She has been put on Tamiflu,” Thanekar said.
Two other patients admitted at Kasturba Hospital’s isolation ward were breathless but BMC denied that they were critical. “They have breathlessness but they are not on ventilator,” Thanekar said.
