Gujarat now India No. 3 in swine flu cases; 2 more die

AHMEDABAD: Swine flu killed two more people on Monday in Gujarat, taking the death toll to 63 this year. Beginning September, the state government has recorded a spike in swine flu cases and the mortality rate has been high. Till October 22, according to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Gujarat has registered the third highest number of swine flu cases in the country — 1,646 — resulting in 51 deaths.
Maharashtra followed by Rajasthan are ahead of Gujarat this year. Last year, Gujarat recorded the second highest number of swine flu deaths and cases in the country.
The latest swine flu figures — till November 5 — show 63 deaths and 1,879 cases this year in Gujarat. Some 129 patients are still under medical care across the state. The disease, according to doctors, had been scaling up during and after the Navratri period, during which the state government intensified its awareness activities.
In Gujarat three influenza viruses are present. They include HAH1N1, Influenza A subtype H3N2 and Influenza B. “The antiviral drug Oseltamivir works on all three viral strains,” said a state health official. “But the antiviral has to be provided in very early stages. Patients turn up at hospitals only when complications like pneumonia get out of hand.” The official pointed out that personal hygiene — such as washing hands — were key to controlling spread of the virus .
A team of health experts studying the virus in Gujarat opines that the recent spike of H1N1 cases pertain to Kutch and Saurashtra regions from October 15. “Urban centres such as Bhuj and Gandhidham have reported more cases than coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch and hence we feel temperature and moisture are principally not the major factors for the spike,” said the official. “We are analyzing why over the past few years swine flu cases in Kutch began to rise three to four weeks later than in the rest of Gujarat.”