Another swine flu death in Himachal, toll rises to 3

One person succumbed to swine flu at Indira Gandhi Medical College hospital here today, taking the toll of the disease-related deaths to three in the state.
66-year-old Ishwar Dev from Bilaspur district was admitted to the hospital with swine flu virus this morning in a serious condition. He was put on a ventilator but he died here this evening, Medical Superintendent Dr Romesh said.
He said that four more persons, including two women from Shimla, were found positive for swine flu at the hospital today.
Swine flu has already claimed two lives in Himachal and one patient from Solan and another from a village near Palampur died at IGMC hospital and Tanda Medical College, Kangra.

The blood reports of these patients, who tested positive for swine flu, were received a day after their died.
So far, 56 blood samples of patients with suspected swine flu have been tested and 16 out of them, including the three deceased, tested positive.
The state government has made additional arrangements for prompt testing of blood samples and an official claimed that the blood sample reports would now be available within three to six hours.
The Indian Council of Medical Research has approved setting-up central virology laboratories in the state for detection of swine flu and other related diseases and a provision of Rs 5 crore has also been made, which would go a long way in prompt detection of the virus, an official release here said.