Bangalore swine flu toll up to six

The swine flu (H1N1) toll in Bengaluru went up to six yesterday. A 30 year old woman succumbed to the virus on Tuesday. There was some confusion as the civic body suggested she suffered from swine flu while the private hospital denied it. There has been a similar case in Chennai where a hospital failed to notify the authorities about a swine flucase.

When contacted the hospital authorities said there had been no H1N1-related death in their hospital. According to protocol, every hospital has to inform the BBMP of any suspected H1N1 case, confirmed case or death due to the disease. Every day, the civic agency has to compile a list of cases and deaths.

The hospital's denial has once again brought to the fore the issues of poor synchronisation in the exchange of information over deaths due to contagious diseases. Why hospitals need to hide swine flu numbers is something strange we cannot seem to fathom. Tuesday's incident is similar to last year's scenario when the BBMP sent notices to a few private hospitals for not sharing information regarding dengue and swine flu cases reported there. When private hospitals choose not to disclose the details of patients admitted due to such diseases, civic agencies find it difficult to gauge the contagious nature and proximity of the disease.

KE Manjula, chief health officer, BBMP, expressed unhappiness over the behaviour of private hospitals. "Private hospitals do not even allow us inside the hospitals for verification. They just tell us that if such a case comes up in their hospitals, they will send the details through mail," complained Manjula.

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