Shimla: Swine flu claimed its first victim in Himachal with Dina Gupta, a 48 year old housewife from Solan being declared H1N1 positive at PGI Chandigarh after she had died on Sunday morning.
Solan chief medical officer, AD Tagra said that PGI authorities reported back that the patient who was being treated at a private nursing home in Mohali was declared H1N1 positive posthumously.
The attending husband of the patient and other attendants as well as other contact persons had been isolated and were being given contact treatment at PGI, informed the medical officer.
History of the case showed that the patient on contracting the flu on 11th October, had taken treatment by consulting a physician over phone.
When there was no improvement, the treatment was revised on 13th, however, as the situation deteriorated, the patient was shifted to Solan zonal hospital on 15th October said Tagra.
Treating doctors advised immediate shifting of the patient to IGMC Shimla or PGI Chandigarh, but the patient was shifted to a private nursing home in Mohali, where she was kept in the intensive care unit (ICU).
It was only on 17th evening that the treating doctors suspected it to be a case of swine flu and a sample for testing was taken on 18th morning. Before the result of the test became clear by the evening the patient had died at 8.40 a.m. on 18th morning itself, said the medical officer.
The clinic where the patient had undergone treatment and the hospital staff who had come in contact with her, along with neighbours and other relatives who had come in contact with the victim have been given contact treatment for swine flu, said Tagra
Since a breakout of swine flu was reported in the country, 9 cases of H1N1 have been reported from Himachal of which 5 were in Solan district, 2 in Shimla and 1 each from Kangra and Bilaspur district.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
