The city has reported 40 swine flu cases in the last four days, following which the civic body has reserved 48-beds at Kasturba Hospital which is the only infectious disease hospital in Maharashtra.
182 patients have tested positive for swine flu in the last seven months across the city.
Earlier, the BMC had circulated an advisory stating all swine flu patients should be admitted to Kasturba for treatment. However, 10 patients have been admitted to the hospital until now. Meanwhile, the private hospitals are admitting seven to eight patients daily.
A senior health officer from the civic health department said there has been a sudden surge in the cases in the city following which there have been beds reserved for patients at Kasturba Hospital.
Moreover, H1N1 has a cyclical trend. There were just two cases in June but the number went up in July. “We witness this trend every alternate year. That’s why we cannot compare it with last July's figures but it is true that cases are increasing,” said, Mangala Gomare, BMC’s executive health officer.
