HT Digital
GUWAHATI, March 14: Due to the suspected mutant swine flu virus H3N2, India’s seventh death has been reported from Vadodara in Gujarat. A 58-year-old woman succumbed to death because of the virus on Monday after catching the infection.
The civic authorities declared that the report of the lady was positive in a private lab. Nevertheless, the authorities have not yet officially declared the cause of the death. Devesh Patel, Chief Health Officer of Vadodara Municipal Corporation said that as soon as the death audit is completed, the doctors can confirm it as per the protocol.
As per reports, the State health department recorded three cases of H3N2 and 77 of H1N1 till last week. The State health minister Rushikesh Patel had announced that the State was prepared to handle the influenza cases with sufficient medicine and testing facilities both at private and government-run labs.
According to data shared by the health ministry on Friday, from January 2 to March 5, 451 cases of the H3N2 virus have been reported in the country. H3N2 and other influenza infections are seasonal and the government was looking into steps to control the spike in cases. The ICMR also recently issued an advisory asking people to avoid self-medication and the use of antibiotics in this influenza outbreak.
H3N2 is a non-human influenza virus that normally circulates in pigs and has infected humans, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
