Swine flu death toll touches 31 in Mumbai

A 25-year-old female from Malad succumbed to swine flu on Tuesday, taking the death toll in the city, since January 19, to 31.

1225 Mumbaikars have tested positive for swine flu in Mumbai hospitals.

The woman who lost her life was admitted in a private hospital on March 8 and shifted to KEM hospital the very next day. Doctors confirmed that the woman suffered from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) along with sepsis and had a septic shock.

Twelve out of 34 cases that were tested H1N1 positive on Tuesday were admitted in city hospitals. The 22 other patients were treated on an OPD basis. All the patients including the six who had come to the city for treatment, are said to be stable.

While 10 Mumbaikars have died due to H1N1, 21 patients, who had come to the city for treatment, have lost their lives till date.

Talking to mid-day on whether the change in climate would impact the number of patients, Dr Om Shrivastava, Head of Infectious Diseases cell, Jaslok Hospital, said that the virus that is known to survive in cold and damp temperatures is causing illness even in the relatively humid climate.

"There is no scientific proof to establish that the virus has gone through a mutation but certainly there is some genetic change that is helping the virus to sustain in this climate. Hopefully the ordeal will soon be over," said Shrivastava.