Maharashtra sees 13-fold rise from last year in number of fatalities; records third-highest number of cases across India at 2,324
Illustration/Uday Mohite
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Maharashtra has topped, but it's far from something to be proud of. The state has recorded the highest number of swine flu deaths in the country this year with a 13-fold rise from last year.
As per the data collected from the ministry of health and family welfare, till July 7, the state had registered 284 deaths, and the number rose to 330 by July 24. Last year, only 26 deaths were reported across Maharashtra.
Grim statistics
Of the total number of deaths reported across the country, nearly 50 per cent have been from Maharashtra, making it the state with the highest number of fatalities. As per the data of the Union health ministry, this year, till July 7, 600 deaths were reported across the country.
Maharashtra has recorded the third-highest number of cases this year - 2,324 - after Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
In Mumbai, 22 deaths have been reported so far this year with 500 people affected with the H1N1 virus. According to officials from the Directorate of Health Services, most number of cases is reported from coastal areas, as a humid climate is considered the most conducive environment for the virus to grow in.
"We aren't sure why such a high number of cases is being reported in the state. There is a need to study the pattern of the virus. High-risk patients, like pregnant women and those suffering from hypertension and diabetes, need to be more careful," said Dr Om Srivastava, infectious diseases specialist.
Controlling the epidemic
In 2015, the situation was worse, when 8,583 cases were recorded in Maharashtra, the highest in India, with 905 deaths.
"We have been able to control the number of swine flu cases in comparison to 2015. It had turned into an epidemic then. This year, the number has gone up again, but we are taking measures to regulate it and keep it under control," said a senior health officer from BMC.
Concerned with the rising number of swine flu cases, a panel of experts from Delhi's National Centre for Disease Control had even visited hospitals and healthcare centres in the state last month to ensure that the guidelines to treat the infection were being followed correctly.
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