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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 29, 2018 8:56 PM IST
The swine flu pandemic that was first described in North America in April 2009 caused about 284,000 deaths worldwide. © Shutterstock
After one of the two patients who had tested positive for the H1N1 virus has died in a private hospital on Monday, the health authorities in Meghalaya have issued an alert for swine flu, a senior minister said.
This is the first swine flu death in the state in 2018, according to the Deccan Herald report. On Monday, the health officials reportedly said that swine flu had claimed its first victim in Meghalaya in 2009.
The Health and Family Welfare Secretary Pravin Bakshi reportedly said that the 58-year-old woman, who tested positive for the flu following her return to Shillong after visiting her sons in Pune and Chennai, died on Sunday night at the Nazareth Hospital.
Bakshi said the state government has sounded a health alert across Meghalaya and has also alerted the Airport Authority of India officials at the Guwahati international airport, Shillong airport and officials from Meghalaya helicopter services.
According to the PTI report, another woman had tested positive for swine flu in the Meghalaya state capital and was admitted to a hospital on October 24. The 27-year-old woman and her mother, hailing from Mumbai, had come to Shillong to attend a church convention. However, the doctor said that her condition has improved and she is out of ICU now.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease which infects the windpipe (respiratory tract) of pigs and gets transmitted to human beings. It results in nasal secretions, cough, decreased appetite and restlessness.
