Two more swine flu cases in Chandigarh

Two more people, including a doctor at of a leading hospital here, have tested positive for the influenza A (H1N1) virus, taking the total number of swine flu cases in the city to 59, officials said Monday.

The latest to contract the virus were a senior resident doctor of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and a 27-year-old resident of Mohali, some 10 km from here.

“We had collected the throat and nasal swab samples of these patients yesterday (Sunday) and their reports have come positive. Their condition is stable and there is no need to worry,” a health official said.

“Besides, we have got five new suspected cases, including a 71-year-old man from Ambala, Haryana. Their reports are still awaited,” he added.

A 14-year-old girl had died due to swine flu in PGIMER Saturday. A native of Haryana's Karnal town, around 130 km from here, she had been admitted to the hospital Friday with breathing problem.

Following her death, the Chandigarh health department had quarantined 14 of her relatives at their house in Sector 23 here.

“We had examined their condition on Sunday evening; all of them are fine and exhibiting no symptoms of swine flu. But still we will keep them quarantined for a few more days as a precautionary measure,” stated the official.

This was the third casualty reported so far in this region due to swine flu.

Earlier a 12-year-old from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town had died of the virus at a private hospital in Chandigarh. She was staying in the hostel of a residential school on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway.

A 48-year-old woman from Himachal Pradesh had died of swine flu at a private hospital in Mohali near here.

Of the 59 people who have tested positive for H1N1 so far, 15 are doctors.

Last updated on Nov 2^nd, 2009 at 10:58 am IST--IANS