3 die, 204 sick with swine flu in armed forces

NEW DELHI - The armed forces had 204 cases of swine flu in 2009, leading to death in three cases.

In the latest case, an officer, also suffering from multiple organ failure, Wednesday succumbed to swine flu in Delhi. The other two swine flu deaths were reported in Pune and Bangalore.

“We had 204 confirmed cases of swine flu among the three services. Three deaths have occurred,” Director General Armed Forces Medical Services Lt. Gen. N.K. Parmar told reporters here, at the annual press conference of the service ahead of their 246th anniversary.

“An advisory with detailed preventive measures has been issued in this regard. Also stock of Tamiflu have been made readily available. We have also screened 5,000 cases among civilian population at Pune and Bangalore,” Parmar added.

The armed forces are equipping 10 hospitals across the country to contain pandemics in future.

“We are working on it (equipping hospitals). Laboratories and process of segregation is in place. We have contained the disease,” he added.

“All cases (leading to death) were catered in civil (hospitals) first and were transferred to army hospitals in a morbid state, when it is difficult to revive them,” Parmar added.

At least 880 people have died across the country due to swine flu.