With two more deaths in the last couple of days, the toll due to H1N1 virus is now 87 in the Pune district. National Institute of Virology (NIV) officials said there has been a dip in the rate of the swine flu infection for a few days with zero admissions.

Dr M S Chadda, NIV deputy director, said there is a marked decrease in the number of patients with influenza-like illness testing positive for H1N1 virus. Even chemists have not registered an increase in the number of people purchasing Tamiflu. Nevertheless, health officials are not taking any chances and have launched an exercise to prepare for the ‘second wave’ of the virus.

Dr Ashok Mehta, joint director health services, said there was a brief period where there were practically zero admissions. However, there were two more deaths on October 16 and 17. Thirty-six-year-old Sunita Raju Gaikwad of Dhankawadi was admitted to Sassoon Hospital on October 16 and died on October 17 due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Forty-five-year-old Vijaykumar Gandhi from Indapur was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and died on October 16. At present, there are 14 patients in the intensive care units of various hospitals and six are on artificial ventilation.

Out of the 87 deaths, 40 are from Pune municipal corporation limits, 10 from Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation limits, 35 from Pune rural and 12 from other districts in the state. Mehta says that this means the virus is freely circulating in the community and it would be premature to say that the ‘first’ wave of H1N1 virus infection was over. “Still, we have launched a massive exercise to prepare for the second wave of infections in terms of requirement of intensive care units, ventilators, manpower and made alternative arrangements like utilising even schools to admit patients,” Mehta said.

... contd.