Two H1N1 deaths in Bhopal in a day

Bhopal: Two patients diagnosed with H1N1 died in Bhopal on Thursday — the first deaths due to the deadly influenza infection in 2019. Five new cases were also reported during the day.
Both of them were men in their early 50s, said a Hamidia Hospital official. Relatives of the patients said they were not aware it was swine flu and called it ‘double-pneumonia’.
On Wednesday, the health department had issued a statewide alert for H1N1, with the prolonged cold spell apparently helping the virus spread. H1N1 (swine flu) crept into MP from neighbouring states and, according to data of Union ministry of health and family welfare, the state has reported 29 cases and six deaths. Health department officials say they have the swine flu spread under control in MP. Gujarat has reported 526 cases and 20 deaths, and Rajasthan a shocking 1,856 cases and 72 deaths. Bhopal alone has reported 17 H1N1 cases.
In 2018, every fourth person who tested positive for H1N1 infection died in Madhya Pradesh, making it one of the worst in the country. While H1N1 infection drastically dropped in MP from 802 in 2017 to 80 in 2018, the mortality rate has doubled — it’s 38% against the national average of 7.2%.
The key is to get treatment as early as possible. In case of severe pneumonia linked to H1N1, risk of mortality changes by the hour. “For every six hours’ delay in treatment, mortality risk increases by 10%. If a patient arrives late by 24 hours, the chances of recovery are only 60%,” said Gandhi Medical College head of TB and chest department, Dr Lokendra Dave.
“The government protocol is not to wait for H1N1 sample test results. We are proactive and initiate treatment immediately, even while test results are awaited,” said CMHO Bhopal, Dr N U Khan.
H1N1 influenza is a respiratory infection that often gets mistaken for flu or pneumonia because many of the symptoms are similar — fever, sore throat, cough, headache, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Treatment for H1N1 is free of cost government set-ups, said Dr Khan. In MP, state-run labs in Gwalior, Bhopal and Jabalpur have facilities to test for swine flu.