22nd of Aug 09
MUMBAI: In an indication of how swine flu-which apparently first
came from abroad-has spread through a variety of economic
backgrounds in the city,
a flower-seller from a Ghatkopar slum became Mumbai's third official
death on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Dattatraya Gawde passed away at Kasturba Hospital in
Chinchpokli last evening after being on a ventilator since Tuesday.
He had developed Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and
high-blood sugar levels due to diabetes, said additional municipal
commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar. "He came to us after a delay of
almost four days since his symptoms began,'' she said, adding that
his H1N1-positive report came from the National Institute of
Virology on Wednesday.
Since August 8, Mumbai has recorded two other deaths-Jogeshwari
resident Fehmida Panwalla and seven-month-old Moida from Byculla.
Neighbouring Thane district registered an H1N1 death when
63-year-old Mumbra resident Syeda Dorjiwala passed away at Byculla's
Noor Hospital on August 10. While the BMC does not count Dorjiwala
among Mumbai's victims, the Centre does because it accounts for
Mumbai and Thane districts together.
Incidentally, Gawde's family physician Dr Jatin Soni told TOI that
he had referred his patient to Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, last
week itself. "But they didn't take his swab. When he returned to me
on August 18 with breathlessness, I sent him to the private Satyam
Hospital,'' said Soni.
At Satyam Hospital, doctors immediately suspected swine flu and sent
him to Kasturba Hospital in their ambulance. "He was with us for
barely an hour, but it was obvious to us that he had swine flu,''
said a medical officer at Satyam.
Admitting that Gawde had come to Rajawadi for a swab test earlier,
BMC executive health officer Dr J Thanekar said, "He had no fever or
cold when he came to us. Let us not make this a blame game. H1N1 is
a new entity and it will take the medical community some time to
completely understand it.''
However, he pointed out that Gawde's descent to ARDS within three
days shows how immuno-suppressed he was. "The virus must have
multiplied aggressively as his sugar levels were shockingly high at
450 when he came to us,'' he said. Mhaiskar said that Gawde's
condition was so acute when he reached Kasturba that he was put on a
ventilator before his swab samples were collected.
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