India, Gujarat : Suspected swine flu victim tests positive

Via Times of India :

" Tests have confirmed that the 30-year-old man who died at SSG Hospital on Sunday was suffering from swine flu. 

This is the first death in the city due to the infection. Victim Rakesh Shrivastav of Bhagyalaxmi Nagar on Ajwa Road was amongst four persons whose samples were collected after they showed symptoms of swine flu. 

The reports of the other persons were negative. Officials in the health department of local civic body said Shrivastav had no travel history. The infection had claimed seven lives in the city last year."

India, Gujarat : Leptospirosis claims five more in Surat

Via The Indian Express, excerpt :

" The deadly leptospirosis has claimed five lives in Surat's New Civil Hospital in the past two days, taking the toll to 11.

Every year, monsoon brings fear of an outbreak among farm workers in the state. But this year, it certainly left the health officials in a tizzy. During the monsoon, farm workers run the risk of being affected by the leptospira bacteria that causes leptospirosis, a disease that can turn fatal very fast.

This year, the disease had raised its ugly head a little late, with patients starting to come in for treatment only during the last week of July. While five new suspected patients had been admitted to the hospital recently, the total number of patients who came in this season have reached 50.

The five patients who died have been identified as Rushita Kanu Patel (34), a resident of Upsal village in Vansda taluka of Navsari district, while others are identified as Babu Chaudhary (40), a resident of Ambach village in Tapi district, Sunil Chaudhary (42), a resident of Mandvi taluka in Surat district, Harsingh Chaudhary (45), of Mandvi taluka, and Hitesh Rathod (35), of Palsana taluka in Surat district."

India, Gujarat : Two more die of leptospirosis, toll rises to 5 in state

Article via The Indian Express :

" With two more people dying of leptospirosis at the New Civil Hospital in Surat, the death toll in the past 12 days rose to five, sources said on Monday.

One of the deceased has been identified as Kishan Harpati (40), a resident of Neol village in Palsana taluka of Surat district, while the second patient was Pritesh Patel (35), a resident of Mahuva taluka.

Hospital sources said these patients were undergoing treatment in the EO ward of the hospital for the past few days. Over 35 such patients are undergoing treatment for the disease at the New Civil Hospital. On Sunday night, two more cases of suspected Leptospirosis were detected. Doctors have taken blood samples of both the patients. Their results are awaited.

Surat New Civil Hospital medical superintendent Dr M K Wadhel said, "This year, the impact of leptospirosis is less than that of the last. Health department officials have also carried out an awareness drive in different districts of South Gujarat. This is meant to inform patients about the disease as most of them come to us at a later stage."

Every year, over hundreds of farm labourers die due to leptospirosis in south Gujarat. These labourers work in the field with their bare hands and feet, as a result of which they are easily exposed to the bacteria found in the urine of rats in the fields."

India : 18 die of swine flu in Gujarat in 2 months

Via Times of India :

" AHMEDABAD: Swine flu has so far claimed 18 deaths in Gujarat. As many as 85 positive cases have been registered in the state. The casualties are nearly 21 per cent of the total swine flu positive cases reported in the state. This may well be the highest percentage in the country, as the national average is less then 10 per cent. Health ministerJaynarayan Vyas in a statement said that with the onset of monsoon, swine flu cases have also gone up in the country.

In last one week, 942 new cases were identified as suffering from swine flu across the country and 83 of them died. Vyas said that in Gujarat 21 new cases have been registered and seven have so far died. He said that delay in starting treatment and low priority to precautions were the major reasons behind the high percentage of deaths in the state. "