Woman succumbs to H1N1 in Mumbai

A 25 year-old woman died of H1N1 in Mumbai on Tuesday evening, taking the death toll due to the deadly virus to 57 in Maharashtra, where 1,931 patients are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, officials said.

Gayatri, a resident of Virar in neighbouring Thane district, was suffering from breathlessness and fever for a week and took treatment at a private clinic.

She was later shifted to civic hospitals, they said. "The woman died due to H1N1 and other ailments, including sepsis and blood disorders at (civic-run) Nair Hospital at 1700 hours," BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said.

The woman was admitted to civic-run Kasturba Hospital on August 30 and shifted to Nair Hospital the same as her condition worsened, she said.

"The victim came very late for treatment. She undertook treatment at a private doctor for five days and came to Kasturba on August 30 with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Her throat swab was taken and she was given given Tamiflu," Mhaiskar said.

Pune has recorded the highest number of deaths at 32, followed by Mumbai and Thane (11), Nashik (7), Latur, Beed two each and Dhule, Aurangabad, Jalna one each, Health Secretary Sharvari Gokhale said.

Gokhale said 29 patients, who have tested positive for H1N1 virus, are undergoing treatment in Pune.

Of these, six are in government-run Sasoon Hospital, where they have been put on ventilators. Besides Pune, one patient in Mumbai's civic hospital and five in private hospitals have been put on ventilators as their condition is serious, she said.

So far, 5,21,779 persons have been screened for the deadly viral disease in the state, and 22,944 have been given Tamiflu, Gokhale said. She said 95 per cent of the patients, who have died so far, had come for swine flu testing very late.