Pune: Five new cases of H1N1 have surfaced in Pune. It includes three students of St. Anne's High School, where the country's first swine flu victim Rida Shaikh had studied. The parents of one of the victims claimed that though the girl was not in direct contact with Rida, she had contracted the virus. She has since been put on medicines. "Initially, it was told that since you were not in direct contact with Rida or any swine flu patient the test cannot be conducted. Then I requested for a test to be conducted. It was positive. The government should provide more and more centres. The testing capacity of NIV is limited. They should increase the testing capacity at NIV, " said Paras Bafna, the parent of the girl detected with swine flu. Rida's death had sent alarm bells ringing among residents making a beeline for Naidu Hospital , the only government-approved testing centre for swine flu symptoms in Pune. So far, over 3, 500 people have had themselves tested for swine flu at this hospital. The Maharashtra Government has invoked the Epidemic Act in Pune and Satara districts to check the spread of swine flu. So far, 150 cases of swine flu have been reported in Maharashtra since April. Incidentally, Jehangir Hospital is the first private hospital that treated a swine flu case outside the three civic hospitals that have become the main referral centres during the last month in Pune. Rida, a class IX student, died at the Jehangir Hospital on Tuesday.

H1N1 victim Rida Shaikh's parents file FIR against two Pune hospitals

     Pune: Family members of the 14-year old Rida Shaikh, who died of swine flu, filed an FIR against the doctors of two private hospitals in Pune on Thursday. The FIR has been filed by Rida's aunt, Ayesha Shaikh. "We would initiate civil and criminal law proceedings against these two private hospitals (Jehangir and Ruby) which had a nexus between them," said Asif Lampwala, lawyer of Rida's family. Rida was admitted in a private hospital on July 26 with symptoms of sore throat, running nose and headache. According to her parents, the doctors initially diagnosed it as a case of pneumonia. Later, Rida was put on a ventilator when her condition deteriorated. Meanwhile, nine more persons, including three schoolmates of deceased Rida of St. Anne's School, were tested positive for the virus in Pune. With this, the number of total positive H1N1 infections registered in the city now stands at 118. Two other schools of Pune - St Helena and Loyola - have also reported one each positive case of the virus, said Dr Ravindra Katti, State Health Department official. The Maharashtra Government has promulgated the Epidemic Diseases Act in Pune and Satara districts. The Act empowers the district magistrates to take measures to prevent an outbreak of the disease, including stopping social gatherings.
-August 6, 2009