Three more succumb to swine flu in Hyderabad, 491 cases in Telangana since August 1

Swine Flu continues to take its toll on Telangana, as three more patients succumbed to the H1N1 influenza virus at Hyderabad's Gandhi Hospital this week.

The deceased persons were identified as Sajida Sultana (48) from Hanamkonda who died on Saturday, and Babu Rao (50) of Kothagudem and Swaroopa (46) of Yadadri district who died on September 20 and September 21 respectively.

The Times of India reported that four people had succumbed to swine flu in September, so far.

"In all the four cases, the patients had underlying health issues. The deaths occurred due to complications that arose from those health concerns, and not primarily due to swine flu. The presence of the H1N1 virus, along with comorbid conditions, only made it more difficult to save them," Dr Sharavan Kumar, superintendent, Gandhi Hospital, told ToI.

Meanwhile, in a bulletin, the Telangana government said that 3,293 samples had been tested since August 1 and 491 among them were found to be positive for the H1N1 virus.

The bulletin also added that 17 positive cases were found on Saturday alone, among the 138 cases tested.

Last month, the state said that 165 positive cases of swine flu had been reported in August.

945 samples were tested since August 1 (till August 28), of which, 165 samples tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the state said.

The state also said that it had a sufficient stock of medicines and testing kits available at government hospitals.

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 state-run Gandhi Hospital, is the nodal centre to treat swine flu patients in Hyderabad.

The nodal agency for testing and confirming swine flu virus for AP and Telangana is the Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM). 

IANS inputs