Jaipur: The Rajasthan government is worried about a sudden rise in cases of swine flu in the state. In the last one month, the disease has claimed 27 lives; over a 100 people in the state are still battling it.
Two patients afflicted by the H1N1 virus died at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital on Tuesday evening. One of them, 42-year-old Panna Lal, had travelled to Jaipur from Nagaur to seek treatment. The other victim was Haseena Bano, a 72-year-old resident of Jaipur.Â
The cases of swine flu are not concentrated in one specific area; of the 32 districts in the state, 25 have reported such cases, said doctors.
But the government has also asked central government agencies to investigate the swine flu samples to see if the virus has mutated in anywayÂ
Admitting that the state government was “worried,” state Health Minister Rajendra Rathore said, “We are worried. A team from Delhi has come here and taken samples; we are having this investigated”.
But doctors say there is no cause for alarm as they feel most patients are responding to the Tamiflu medicationÂ
“Even if there is a mutation, it is very minor because patients are responding to the same medication,” said Dr K C Meena, additional director of rural health.
Symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of a common cold, and they are often ignored by patients, he added
With many people catching a cold due to the severe winter, patients often report cases of swine flu when it is too late and this, say doctors, could be a reason for the alarming rise in deaths.