Swine flu kills more young, middle-aged people: study

NEW DELHI - Swine flu is killing more young people and those suffering from associated diseases like diabetes and chronic heart ailment, says a health ministry study released Tuesday as the toll in India rose to 101.

We have conducted a study and found that more than 50 percent of those affected by the virus were in the age group of 15-45 years, R.K. Srivastava, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, told reporters.

Deaths were also due to late reporting to identified health facilities and delay in initiation of Tamiflu, he said.

The report, which was presented to Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad during Monday’s stock-taking meeting of the ministry, studied the first 82 deaths that occurred till Aug 31.

Among the dead were 43 men and 39 women, including three pregnant women.

So far, the maximum number of deaths from swine flu is reported from Maharashtra where 55 people have died.

Srivastava said of the first 82 deaths, 61 were in urban areas and 19 in rural areas.

He said there were five deaths in the age group of 0-5 years and three from 6-15 age group. Thirteen victims were from the age group of 16 to 25 years, while 18 people died in the age group of 26-35 years.

Srivastava said 24 people died in the age group of 36-45, as compared to 18 deaths in the age group of 46-65. Only one person died in the above 65-year category.

Most of the people who died showed breathlessness, chest pain, drowsiness, fall in blood pressure, bluish discolouration of nails and sputum mixed with blood, he said.

Experts found that of the first 82 deaths, 36 people died of associated diseases.

While 17 people had diabetes, 11 were suffering from chronic heart ailments and eight from lung diseases. The rest had anaemia, neurological problems and blood disorders, he added.

We have carried out tests to find out whether the virus was mutating. But we have not found so, he added.

Most of the deaths, 18, occurred on the first day of hospitalisation and this was due to late reporting, added Srivastava.

The same number of deaths were reported on the second day of hospitalisation, while 17 people died after getting treatment for the third day.

On the fourth day, eight deaths were reported, while nine people died on the fourth day of hospitalisation, he added.