Two pneumonia cases reported in Maharashtra

Mumbai: While there were no confirmed cases of pneumonia in the state last year, two cases of the disease have been reported in the fortnight from Jalgaon. The two patients, who are suffering from pneumonia,  were critical and were put on a life-support system, said health department sources.

“There were two critical cases of Pneumonia from Jalgaon, and they were in worst condition. Initially, after dengue and swine flu test of patients turned out to be negative, we could not ascertain what exactly the patients were suffering from,” Dr Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician at Bombay Hospital said. He added, “After the detailed medical examination, it was confirmed that the patients were suffering from pneumonia. Several cases of viral infection have been reported in which patients are suffering from an acute sore throat, cough and cold.”

According to civic officials, there has been an increase in the number of viral fever cases, with 4,000 patients admitted to various civic hospitals in the city. The cases of pneumonia are alarming for those who tend to neglect a bout of cold and flu, said a doctor.

The sudden rise in cases has been attributed to the unprecedented temperature fluctuations in the city since there is the high moisture content in the atmosphere. Since the symptoms of this respiratory illness are similar to the seasonal flu, it’s difficult to detect it, said the doctor.

Meanwhile, H1N1 cases have declined in the city. There have been no deaths due to swine flu in the last two weeks, and around 100 confirmed cases have been reported in the city, said health officials. According to  Dr Pradip Awate, state’s surveillance officer, “The total deaths reported due to swine are 554 in Maharashtra. While the people on ventilator support decreased as earlier, there were 52, and currently, only 32 patients are on ventilator. 34,000 people have been vaccinated.”