47 deaths due to H1N1, Delhi government’s toll still 5

New Delhi: Swine flu has claimed 47 lives, including 22 from Delhi, in the four Central government hospitals of the national capital till date this year, officials said.

However, the figure, compiled from all hospitals, is much higher than that of the Delhi government, which puts the toll due to H1N1 virus at five, including two from Delhi. The data from the Delhi government and these hospitals contradict each other.

The four hospitals are — Ram Manohar Lohia (RML), AIIMS, Safdarj-ung and Lady Hardinge. While RML has seen 95 positive cases of H1N1 influenza till date, AIIMS, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge reported 45, 27 and 30 confirmed cases respectively.

Lady Hardinge also reported two deaths due to the virus. According to RML Hospital authorities, of the 22 people who died due to H1N1 virus, 13 were from Delhi while seven were from UP and two from Haryana.

Asked about the Centr-al government hospitals in Delhi reporting several deaths due to swine flu, a senior health depa-rtment official of the Delhi government said, “We have not received these figures from the hospitals. As soon as they send the data we will revise our list.”

A total of 195 people, including 117 from the city, were admitted to RML Hospital with swine flu symptoms, out of which 95 tested positive, an official said. AIIMS recorded 45 positive swine flu cases, out of which 12 people died, including four from Delhi, a senior official at the hospital said.

The Safdarjung hospital saw 27 cases positive cases and recorded 11 deaths, of which five were from Delhi, a senior official of the hospital said. H1N1 influenza, commonly known as swine flu, is a respiratory flu and has symptoms like fever, sore throat, headache, cough, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Like other strains of the flu, H1N1 is highly contagious.