Expert fear that virus has mutated to become more fatal. Health dept on denial mode

Wednesday, 16 January 2019 | Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun

The high Mortality rate in cases of the patients affected by Swine Flu this season has shocked the experts and many of them suspect that H1 N1, the virus of the disease, has mutated to become more virulent.

In the provisional State Capital Dehradun-which is bearing the maximum brunt of the disease-seven patients suffering from the disease have so far lost their lives due to Swine flu.

What is intriguing the Health experts is the fact that the health department has so far reported just ten cases of the disease in Dehradun out of which seven have died. It is in the stark contrast to the previous years where the death rate in the disease was much lower. In 2017, for example, twenty patients had died out of about 200 confirmed cases of the disease in Dehradun.

Taking note of the unusually high mortality due to Swine flu this year, the district health department of Dehradun has requested the state health and family welfare department to look into the issue.

The chief medical officer (CMO) of Dehradun, Dr S K Gupta accepted that the high mortality rate this year is unusual and it appears that the virus is virulent. He added that the matter is being brought into the notice of the higher authorities.

The head of department of Zoology of DAV PG College here, Dr R K Johri also said that very high degree of mortality in Swine flu cases this year is very serious. “It is commonly observed that the mortality rate in Swine flu is much less than what we are observing this time around. The viruses are known to mutate and it appears the strain which has affected Dehradun is more virulent,’’ he said.

The state health department, however, is not buying the virulent virus theory.

The director general (DG) state health services, Dr T C Pant said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) provides information in case any change occurs in the strain of the virus and there is no report by it on the change in strain of the virus.

He attributed high mortality rate to factors like focussed testing and more critically ill patients. He said that the department is on alert mode regarding the disease and rapid response teams are working in all the districts to combat spread of H1 N1. The DG  further said that treatment of the suspected cases of the disease should start without delay as early treatment drastically reduces mortality.

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