A 47-year-old woman from Shimla succumbed to Swine Flu, becoming the first victim of the disease this year so far in Himachal Pradesh.
The victim, a resident of Khalani had been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) hospital following complaint of high fever and cold on 8 April.
IGMC Senior Medical Superintendent Janak said, “Owing to her condition, she was put on ventilator support and her test was conducted, which was positive for Swine Flu.”
She succumbed to the disease on Tuesday at around 7.40 a.m, he said, adding that delay in bringing the patient could have led to her death, as critical time was lost in providing timely treatment.
He disclosed that this season so far two have tested positive for Swine Flu at IGMC, the first case, having been reported in the month of March. Chief Medical Officer, Shimla stated that they have traced five contacts of the deceased and administered with precautionary medication.
The Primary Health Centre, New Shimla has been directed for containment and taking precautionary measures, besides sensitising the public. This year so far 167 were tested for Swine Flu out of which three were tested positive that includes two from Shimla, while one from Una.
Last year till 21 November, there were 15 deaths, while 75 tested positive out of the 764 tested conducted for the disease, While in 2016, 5 deaths were reported and had 14 tested positive.