H1N1 claims first victim of season in Mumbai region

THANE: Influenza H1N1 has claimed a 52-year-old woman while she was undergoing treatment—the first death in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region since January 2019. Close to 400 H1N1 cases and 13 deaths have reported across the state since the beginning of the year.


The deceased, identified as Kanchan Gaur, was a resident of Palghar and brought to a private hospital last week in a serious condition.

“Gaur was referred to a private hospital here last week in the early hours of Wednesday and she died while undergoing treatment the same night. She was a high risk patient as she suffered from both diabetes and hypertension. Since January, around 36 people have tested positive for H1N1, six of whom are from other cities. So far, there has been one death and the patient is not a Thane resident,” said Dr Ram Kendre, medical health officer, TMC.

The health department here has so far screened around 467 patients, 36 of whom have tested positive. Officials said the number is higher than last year when around 26 patients had tested positive and five had died. This year, similar numbers have been reported in just over a month into the new year.

“Most of the 30 patients from the city live in highrises along Ghodbunder Road. When we investigated the instances, we found that a majority had travelled to Nasik and Dehradun and some had even gone abroad. We suspect that they might have got infected while travelling,” added Dr Kendre.