Three more swine flu deaths in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH - Three more people have died of swine flu in Chandigarh, taking the toll due to the Influenza A (H1N1) virus in the city to 32, officials said Saturday.

The victims were identified as Vick (20), a resident of Haryana’s Kaithal town, Harpal Singh (25) and Gurmail Singh (45) from Punjab’s Ludhiana and Bathinda towns respectively. All three died at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) late Friday.

Three more people, including a doctor, have also tested positive for swine flu in Chandigarh.

“We collected the nasal and throat swab samples of these patients yesterday (Friday) and their reports have come positive,” said G.C. Bansal, the union territory’s officiating nodal officer for swine flu.

The patients are two men from Chandigarh while the third is from neighbouring Panchkula town, the official added.

“All the patients are stable and we are keeping a close tab on their condition. We have informed the concerned health officials of Punjab and Haryana about the deaths at PGIMER,” Bansal said.

Another swine flu death was reported in a hospital in neighbouring Mohali town.

“The victim was a 26-year-old man. He died on Friday evening. So far four people have died due to this infection in Mohali,” a health official said.

Over 260 people have tested positive for swine flu in Chandigarh hospitals so far.

The advent of winters has led to a spurt in the number of swine flu cases. Chandigarh has reported over 100 positive cases and more than 20 deaths due to the virus in December alone.