Swine flu on the rise in Thane; death toll reaches 14

In four days (Wednesday to Saturday) five people lost their lives to swine flu in Thane, taking the toll to 14, painting a worrisome picture for the health departments of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and other civic bodies in Thane district. A total of 402 cases of swine flu have been reported in Thane.

According to health department officials, apart from coronavirus and swine flu, the number of patients infected with dengue, winter fever, gastro and jaundice is also increasing in Thane. “Corona and swine flu are infectious diseases so their risk is more. As the festive season has started, the markets are crowded. Due to this, there is a fear of the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases including swine flu, on a large scale,” said an official.

TMC's medical health officer Shirjit Shinde said, “60 new cases of swine flu have been found in Thane district in the last four days, taking the total number of patients in the district to 402, with five more succumbing to the infection in just four days.” He added that of the total deaths, eight patients were from Thane city, five from Kalyan-Dombivli and one from Ambernath.

At present, 170 patients infected with swine flu are being treated in Thane district. Among them, 136 patients from Thane, 24 from Kalyan-Dombivali, eight from Navi Mumbai, one from Badlapur and one from Thane rural are currently undergoing treatment.