Infant dies of swine flu at Silchar; authorities cite comorbidities

Silchar, May 8: In a shocking incident, an infant afflicted with the H1N1 virus (swine flu) undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) died on Tuesday.

However, the SMCH authorities are claiming that the casualty is not due to the swine flu virus but because of comorbid factor. “There has been no casualty at the hospital due to the H1N1 virus. The 3-month old infant died of comorbid factor (MRSA) infection," said Dr Bhaskar Gupta, principal of SMCH.

Meanwhile, the district health department is claiming that the infant was H1N1 positive and following the death of the infant, they have intensified awareness and safety arrangements across the Block PHCs in the district. “The deceased infant at SMCH was found to be H1N1 positive. We have accelerated our awareness drives, urging the public to wear facemasks and maintain hygiene. But there is no reason to press the panic button as of now," asserted Dr Ashutosh Barman, Joint Director of Health Services, Cachar.

It is learned that while five positive cases of the H1N1 virus were reported at the SMCH, one patient is still being treated at the hospital.