Govt asks civic chiefs to prepare weekly review reports of

As swine flu deaths continue unabated in Maharashtra, the state government has directed the municipal commissioners to prepare weekly review reports of the H1N1 patients in the civic hospitals, health officials said.

Preparing audit reports of swine flu-related deaths in private hospitals has also been made mandatory by the state government, they said.

The decision was taken in today's state Infectious Diseases Control Committee meeting held at the Mantralaya chaired by state health minister Dr Deepak Sawant.

"The H1N1 infection has claimed the lives of 525 people in Maharashtra from January to September 8. There are 4,898 swine flu positive cases identified in the state, of which 525 have lost their lives," a senior health officer said.
 

"If a private hospital is reporting more H1N1 casualties, the municipal commissioners concerned should visit the hospital and carry out the death audit. The swine flu prevalence has increased in the state, but the situation is under control," Sawant said after the meeting.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s measures to control the breeding of malaria mosquitoes has been effective so far, he said.

"The state government has issued the departments concerned to issue a circular to implement the BMC Act across the state. It will be out soon," Sawant said.

The state machinery has so far carried out screening of 15 lakh people, of which 38,718 have been administered with preventive medicines.

Nashik district is the worst-affected region in the state in terms of H1N1 infection.

While 54 H1N1 deaths were reported in Nashik, the deadly infection has killed 43 people so far, followed by 38 deaths in Pune rural. Nagpur and Ahmednagar districts reported 35 and 33 deaths respectively since January this year. Thane and Pimpri and Chinchwad municipal corporation reported 31 deaths each, followed by Kolhapur (28) and Aurangabad 26 deaths, the state officials said.

Dr Pradeep Vyas, principal secretary of health department, Dr Subhash Salunkhe, head of the committee, Dr Satish Pawar, director of health services and Mahesh Zagade, divisional commissioner of Nashik division, were present for today's meeting.