Deputy CM Screened With Swine Flu Symptoms

The Swine Flu pandemic claimed one more life in Telangana, this time a 10-month-old baby in the Yadadri district on Saturday night, pushing the death toll to five. All previous victims were, strangely, adult women.

The child, a resident of Bibinagar in Yadadri, died at Gandhi Hospital on Friday, making it the fifth death this year at the State nodal centre for treating swine flu. The Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) released report of the child's swab sample.

And although a 32-year-old man died on January 23 while undergoing treatment at the hospital's swine flu ward, the officials said that he died of a different cause. He was tested negative for H1N1, they added. This was, too, confirmed by the IPM.

Two other confirmed cases of swine flu and four suspected cases are undergoing treatment, as per reports. Over 3,000 samples have been tested since August 1 last year and of these, 165 samples turned positive, the officials said. People have been advised to approach the hospital at the first symptoms of the disease such as high fever, sneezing, cough and body ache. Hospitals have been asked to quarantine people having symptoms of the influenza disease and send the samples to the IPM.

But according to the TRS government, there was no need for panic as it had adequate supply of medication and testing kits.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali, too, is being treated for the H1N1 virus after appearance of the symptoms, official reports said. He is undergoing treatment at Azampura, and is being evaluated by State-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). According to hospital sources, the samples of Mahmood Ali were sent to the IPM. The Deputy CM has been put under quarantine and advised rest.