Swine flu scare in Delhi: AAP says none affected; Ganga Ram hospital reports four deaths

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New Delhi: More than sixty nine people have been affected but the lethal swine flu virus in Delhi as Sri Ganga Ram hospital has alone reported four deaths due to the condition.

However, AAP government seems to be in denial over this as they have said that no one has been affected due to swine flu in the capital.

"No death due to swine flu has been reported in the capital... 69 confirmed cases of it have been reported," a senior Delhi health department official told PTI.

But authorities at SGRH said four patients who had died at the hospital -- three of them last month -- were afflicted with the H1N1 virus.

About 15 cases of the disease have been reported at SGRH, and the first swine flu patient who died there was a 65-year- old woman from Gwalior. She had been admitted to the hospital late January and succumbed in early February, said Dr Atul Kakar, Senior Consultant, Department of Medicine, at the hospital.

The other three swine flu patients were all men and belonged to Delhi. A 35-year-old man died on April 17. The other two were aged 58 and 62.

"All these four patients were diagnosed with swine flu. There were multiple issues involved in their cases. Three of the patients did have some sort of co-morbid conditions, but the 35-year-old patient did not have a history of any serious ailments.

"So there is a possibility that the H1N1 virus was the cause behind his death," Kakar said.

"One swine flu patient was discharged today," he added.

Authorities at centre-run RML Hospital and Sadarjung Hospital said no death due to swine flu had been reported.

(With PTI inputs)