Bangalore Woman Dies of Swine Flu, India’s Toll 19
Bangalore, Aug 13 (IANS): A 26-year-old school teacher, who died Wednesday at the St. Philomena Hospital here, was Thursday declared by health authorities as Karnataka's first swine flu victim, taking India's death toll to 19.
"Her throat and nasal swabs tests have confirmed that the patient was suffering from the H1N1 influenza virus," hospital director Shankar Prasad told reporters.
The woman, identified only as Rupa, was admitted in the hospital Aug 7.
"The patient was admitted with breathing problems coupled with pneumonia. Her condition started deteriorating Tuesday and she died Wednesday afternoon. We got the confirmation that the woman was suffering from swine flu only Wednesday night," added Prasad.
According to hospital sources, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), where the test was done, confirmed that Rupa was suffering from H1N1 virus late Wednesday night.
Rupa worked as a teacher in the Sudarshan Vidya Mandir at Jayanagar here.
According to figures available with the health department, 522 tests have been conducted in Karnataka and 97 people have tested positive for the H1N1 virus.
As many as 14 people have died of the flu in Maharashtra, while one death each has been reported from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.