Chandigarh man dies of swine flu

CHANDIGARH - A man has died of swine flu in Chandigarh’s neighbouring Mohali town, a health official said here Saturday.

Gurmeet Singh, 43, a resident of Sector 36 in Chandigarh, died of swine flu at a private hospital in Mohali late Friday.

“Gurmeet was admitted in a hospital in Mohali Aug 20 and since then he was on life support system. He was suffering from swine flu and died of cardiac arrest late Friday,” Abha Rana, nodal officer of swine flu in Chandigarh, told IANS.

“We are also checking the health of people who had come in contact with Gurmeet during the past few days. Some of his family members have been quarantined and administered tamiflu dosage,” she added.

Earlier this month, 48-year-old Malti Devi died of swine flu at civil hospital in Amritsar. Besides, around 10 suspected cases of the deadly H1N1 virus were reported in Chandigarh hospitals in August, out of which three tested positive.

During the last winter, around 60 people of Punjab, including Chandigarh, lost their lives due to swine flu.

The Chandigarh health department has issued fresh guidelines about the dos and donts to prevent the virus from spreading.

“Swine flu is transmitted from humans to humans and by infected particles in the air. We urge all Chandigarh residents to immediately seek medical advice if they are affected with symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting and difficulty in breathing,” state surveillance officer (swine flu) G.C. Bansal said.