MUMBAI: Five people, including a pregnant woman and an 18-month-old boy, have died of influenza H1N1 at various city hospitals last month. The civic body held a death committee meeting this week and confirmed the casualties, adding that all five were from outside the city and had come for treatment. Previously, three H1N1 deaths were reported from extended suburbs.Two of the victims were from Nalasopara, two from Navi Mumbai and one was from Virar. Three of the five had history of hypertension and diabetes, two of the commonest co-morbidities associated with H1N1 mortality. BMC’s executive health officer Dr Padmaja Keskar said while Mumbai has reported over 60 confirmed cases between February and March, there have been no casualties.The 24-year-old pregnant women was a resident of Navi Mumbai. The BMC records show that she was transferred to a public hospital after being initially treated in a private hospital. Pregnant women are considered high-risk and doctors advise the highest caution for those in the third semester.“There are theories to what makes them susceptible. They include changes in the immune system to additional pressure on the mother’s breathing and lung function, which puts her at risk of secondary infections,” said a doctor from Sion Hospital. Dr Keskar said that free vaccines have been made available for pregnant women at civic-run maternity hospitals.State officials confirmed that the 18-month-old child from Nalasopara, who succumbed to the respiratory infection , is perhaps the first casualty from this age-group this year. State’s epidemiologist Dr Pradeep Awate said the virus has claimed 37 lives this year. Nearly 700 positive cases have been reported so far. “Every year, 3-5% deaths are from paediatric age-group. This year, we are yet to see a definite pattern,” he said, adding that the rising temperatures may curb the transmission of the virus. The second Nalasopara resident to die was a 54-year-old woman, who was a known case of hypertension. She also suffered from deep vein thrombosis.One of the deceased from Navi Mumbai was a 67-year-old woman. The senior citizen, a resident of Kamothe, was transferred to Mumbai from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation hospital in a state of hypoxia (deprivation of oxygen supply to body parts). The 46-year-old Virar woman was a patient of hypertension, who had gone to two hospitals before being referred to a public hospital where she died within 24 hours.Infectious disease expert Dr Om Srivastava advised that vulnerable population should go for influenza vaccination. “Even though we have seen a few cases this year where people who had taken the vaccine last year got the infection, vaccination is advisable,” he said.

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