Swine flu deaths occurred in ‘high risk factor group’ patients: Research

About 65 per cent of persons who died due to Swine Flu at the SMS Hospital and College here this January and February, also had a “high risk factor” involved, they all suffered from other chronic diseases including diabetes, TB, chronic lung disorder, a research has revealed.
A team of doctors led by Dr Rama Sharma, Professor of Medicine at SMS Hospital and College has published a research paper titled “Profiling the Mortality due to Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Jaipur during the Current Season – January & February 2015” in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (April issue).
Of the 412 serious swine flu patients admitted to the SMS Hospital here, 76 succumbed to the H1N1 virus, and of which 65 per cent were in the high risk category and suffering from other chronic diseases like diabetes, lung disorder, or Tuberculosis or were pregnant, Sharma said today.
Research suggested that a rejig of the existing guidelines to identify and treat influenza like illness is needed at the national level, he said.
What factors promote rapid progression especially in a group without any predisposing risk condition should form the focus of future studies, he added.
“As risk group individuals formed a major chunk of deaths, the need to vaccinate this group should form a scaffold on which future directions and interventions have to be built up to combat the morbidity and mortality”, he added.
Sharma stressed that vaccination against H1N1 was a must for such high risk patients having diabetes, chronic lung disorder, TB or woman in pregnancy.
A total of 5528 laboratory confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 were recorded in the state of Rajasthan during the two months period from 1st January 2015 to 28th February 2015, out of which a total of 285 deaths occurred due to the current circulating strain.
PTI