169 swine flu patients in Telangana, 7 deaths this year

Hyderabad: Seven persons have died due to swine flu in Telangana this year and as many as 169 patients are currently undergoing treatment for the H1N1 virus at various hospitals, an official said on Tuesday.

"From January 1, we have 169 confirmed cases of swine flu. There have been seven deaths due to the disease this month. Last year, there were 11 deaths in Telangana and 5 deaths in Andhra Pradesh," Dr K Subhakar, swine flu coordinator of Telangana and pulmonology professor, said.

Subhakar said they have started carrying out swine flu test for most of the patients suffering from flu, even though it is not necessary as per Central government guidelines.

The situation appears to be grim in the state capital Hyderabad.

According to Dr K Narasimhulu, coordinator for swine flu at Gandhi Hospital here, 27 patients of swine flu are currently undergoing treatment in the state-run hospital while 35 cases are under investigation for suspected influenza.

The hospital received four fresh cases of the disease today from various private hospitals, Narasimhulu said.

"Till yesterday we had 23 patients undergoing treatment in our hospital. We received four more cases today. At the same time, 35 suspected cases, including 10 children, are under observation," he said.

Health officials here maintained that swine flu this year is not as virulent as it was in 2009, but high risk groups (those suffering from different serious ailments and low immunity) need to remain alert.

Last year, 88 cases of swine flu were reported in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and 11 people had succumbed to it.