Jodhpur: A 70-year-old woman from Switzerland on Thursday died of swine flu at a hospital in Jodhpur, an official said. Meanwhile, in Gujarat and Rajasthan 10 and 8 more persons died respectively.
The deceased identified as Animarie succumbed to the flu this morning, Jodhpur Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Y V Singh Rathore told PTI on phone.
She was referred to MMH in Jodhpur on Wednesday from a private hospital in Jaisalmer where she was found positive for H1N1 virus, he said.
The woman, who was also suffering from lung cancer, died this morning, the CMHO said. The body has been kept in a mortuary.
She had come to Jaisalmer as a tourist and the woman's guide brought her to Jodhpur yesterday.
The Swiss Embassy has been informed, the official said.
In Gujarat, ten more casualties have been reported, taking the total death toll in the state over 100, while over 150 new cases were reported in the state in the past 24 hours. The total number of such cases this year has now climbed over 1,000
Authorities in Gujarat have stepped up measures to combat the spread of the fatal H1N1 virus that causes swine flu.
Arrangements for separate wards, beds, adequate medical supplies, including Tamiflu medicines, have been made in hospitals.
People are being educated on preventive measures and have been instructed to wear masks, wash their hands frequently, besides sanitising the environment.
In Rajasthan, eight more persons succumbed to swine flu, raising the toll of the disease- related deaths to 117, an official of the Medical and Health Directorate (MHD) said today.
Of the eight deceased, three persons were from Barmer, and one each from Jodhpur, Banswara, Jhunjhunu, Jaisalmer, and Sikar, the official said.
"Out of 1,404 people tested positive for the virus, 117 have died in the state from January 1 so far," the official said.
Of the 33 districts in Rajasthan, 29 are affected with the contagious swine flu.
So far, Jaipur has reported 21 deaths due to the H1N1 virus, maximum in the state, followed by Ajmer 19, Barmer 11, Nagaur 9, Jodhpur 8, Chittorgarh 7, Banswara 6, Kota 5, Bikaner and Tonk 4 each, Sikar and Bhilwara 3 each, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Pali, Bundi, and Udaipur two each.
Bharatpur, Churu, Jaisalmer, Srigangangar, Hanumangarh, Dungarpur and Alwar have recorded one death each.
The swine flu toll in Maharashtra has crossed 100.
As many as 216 people have lost their lives to due the flu across the country in the first ten days of February as the death toll mounted to 407 this year.
Swine flu is caused by the H1N1 virus. H1N1 symptoms are similar to those produced by other influenza viruses - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and respiratory problems.
Symptoms for swine flu include high fever, headache, muscle pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain and internal and external bleeding. It is transmitted to people primarily from ticks and livestock animals with an incubation period of up to nine days. Human-to-human transmission takes up to two weeks.
(DNA News)
