No let up in swine flu, countrywide toll mounts to 89

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The swine flu pandemic showed no let up and claimed the life of a 39-year-old man in Mumbai, pushing the toll to 89 while 123 fresh cases of infection were detected across the country.

M Shaikh, who had tested positive for the virus, had undergone treatment at MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai for ten days and was shifted to D Y Patil Hospital, also in the same area, yesterday, Navi Mumbai Chief Health Officer Deepak Paropkari said.

Shaikh died last night, he said. With this death, the nationwide flu toll climbed to 89.

Maharashtra now accounts for 47 fatalities-- 25 in Pune, ten in Mumbai, seven in Nashik, two in Aurangabad and one each in Dhule and Latur.

20 people have died in Karnataka, seven in Gujarat, three each in Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, two in Uttarakhand and one each in Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Haryana.

The flu spurt continued across the country with 123 fresh cases of the viral disease being detected yesterday, bringing the total number of those who had been infected to 3,396, Health Ministry officials said in Delhi.

The Ministry said that the virus was affecting people in the 14 to 44 age bracket more and late reporting for treatment was the reason for most of the deaths.

Director General of Health Services R K Srivastava, quoting a survey by the Ministry, said yesterday that instances of death occurred when people infected by the virus reported for proper treatment five days or more after the symptoms surfaced.