KARACHI – Ten more patients, including six women, were diagnosed with the H1N1 Type-A Influenza, commonly known as swine flu, in the city on Wednesday.
The total number of confirmed cases of the deadly viral disease has increased to 23, since the first patient was reported in the city two weeks ago.
Sindh Swine Flu Surveillance Cell in charge Dr Suresh told Pakistan Today that the patients were brought to different public and private hospitals of the city and later confirmed positive by the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.
He said his department has issued strict directives to all hospitals throughout the province to immediately provide the details of every new patient of swine flu.
However, Dr Suresh was not able to provide the names of the confirmed patients, as the AKUH was not providing the patients’ names even to the provincial government.
On Tuesday, Rubina, 42, resident of Saddar, was confirmed positive after remaining admitted to the Holy Family Hospital for four days.
Officials of the Health Department told Pakistan Today that after the recent increase in H1N1 influenza virus cases in the city, the department has established a swine flu cell at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital with five beds.
So far, 23 people have been diagnosed with swine flu virus in the city while a young patient named Iftikharullah Khan died of the virus last week.
The symptoms associated with swine flu are similar to the typical seasonal flu but can be accompanied by high-grade fever, stuffy nose, sore throat, fatigue, body ache, headache, and sometimes vomiting.
