Swine Flu just refuses to die down in Hyderabad, as a five-month-old boy died at the Gandhi Hospital on Saturday, after he succumbed to the virus.
The boy was reported to be a native of Jagtiyal.
“The boy had other health issues. The rest of the babies are stable. We will observe them for one more week as we don't want to take chances," Dr Sravan, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital told the Times of India.
“We are seeing that the virus is causing infection in children even in summer. This was not the case before. Samples are being sent to the National Institute of Virology to determine if the virus has mutated,” the hospital superintendent told The Hindu.
This comes a day after reports that Hyderabad witnessed 11 new cases on Friday.
Swine flu is an infection caused by one of several Swine Influenza Viruses (SIV), with the H1N1 strain being the most common in India and Telangana.
The H1N1 virus spreads when you touch an infected surface or breathe droplets of coughs and sneezes that are in the air.
The symptoms are the same as the seasonal flu, also known as viral fever. They include cough, sore throat, and body aches. Young children, pregnant women, and older adults are more likely to develop complications.
The virus is no stranger to the state as it is an annual event, that stays in the spotlight for a short period every year, before fading away until the next season.
Usually, the disease stops spreading as summer approaches, and the overall temperature rises.
People have been advised to approach the hospital at the first symptoms of the disease such as high fever, sneezing, cough and body ache.
The hospitals have been asked to isolate people having symptoms of swine flu and send their samples to the IPM.
According to the government, there is no need for panic as it has adequate supply of medication and testing kits.