Woman dies of swine flu, 34 test positive for infection

Officials reluctant to give exact number of patients

A pregnant woman has died of swine flu and 34 others have tested positive for the infection in the Valley, a meeting was told on Monday.
We learnt from an official that the meeting had been called to discuss health department’s assessment of the H1N1 or swine flu in the Valley. He said that among other things, health officials told the government that 34 patients have tested positive, while a pregnant woman died of the disease recently.
Dr Showkat Zargar, director SKIMS, Soura, confirmed that the meeting had been called to discuss the status of swine flu infection in the Valley and he too had attended it.
However, when asked how many patients are being treated at the SKIMS, he asked this reporter to call Dr Parvez Kaul who is the head of the department of medicine and in charge of the Influenza Project in state.
Dr Kaul admitted that there are swine flu patients at the institute but did not say how many.
“Why are you bothered about the number,” he told .
Asked whether any patient had died of the disease, Dr Kaul said, “I don’t have any information regarding it.” He said there was no need to panic.
When contacted, director health, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman told that during the meeting Dr Zargar requested for necessary equipment for swine flu testing and treatment.
Asked if the number of swine flu patients was revealed during the meeting, Dr Rehman said, “I arrived late in the meeting. Besides, such information is kept by the SKIMS only.”
The SKIMS is the only hospital in the Kashmir valley where H1N1 testing is carried out and its patients are treated. In private clinics, the test costs Rs 5,500.
Health officials have been reticent about divulging information regarding the status of the disease in the Valley.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by viruses (influenza viruses) that infect the respiratory tract. It produces most of the same symptoms in pigs as human flu produces in people. Reported for the first time in Mexico in 2009, swine flu is easily transmissible among humans. Its symptoms are fever, cough, nasal secretions, fatigue and headache.
Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, president of a faction of Doctors Association of Kashmir, lashed out at health officials for withholding the exact number of patients.
“It is the responsibility of health officials to ensure that credible information is accessible to the public in such a situation. Concealing information to cover up inefficiencies is criminal,” he said.