Recent study of the swine flu mortalities in India has revealed that reporting late to the hospitals is the most prominent reason behind deaths due to swine flu. Study also showed that out of 78 deaths due to swine flu, most patients were between 14 and 44.

Research team studied randomly picked 30 A(H1N1) influenza deaths in Maharashtra. It was also found that most of the people who died went to government hospitals mostly on the fifth day of contracting the infection when their condition deteriorated. Initially they went to private practitioners for treatment.

Director General Health Services (DGHS) RK Srivastava said: “In our scientific analysis of partial data of 30 deaths, we have found that high fever is a major symptom only in suspect cases. In the dead, cough and breathlessness are common.”

Government is requesting people to report immediately to government authorities when they show symptoms of flu as presence and severity of swine flu can only be assessed after medical tests. Till now 3,396 people have tested positive for the swine flu.

To reduce the burden on government facilities and to gear up testing facilities, sixteen private laboratories across the country have been given permission to test swine flu.