17-year-old girl suffering from Swine flu dies

CHANDIGARH: City has registered its first toll due to swine flu when a 17-year-old girl from Panchkula died at PGI, here.



The deceased, identified as Pallavi Kwatra, a resident of Sector 7, was a student of Class X in Moti Ram Arya School in the same sector. Earlier, the three patients of swine flu who died at different hospitals of tricity in the recent past belonged to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Pallavi was brought to the PGI on Monday, after she was referred here from Alchemist Hospital and died at 11.50 am. The report of samples confirmed that she was suffering from swine flu, said HC Gera, the nodal officer of the Chandigarh health department.

Gera said Pallavi, who was suffering from high fever for the last few days, was taking treatment from some private practitioners in Panchkula. On November 5, she even had been to Anandpur Sahib and Naina Devi along with a group of students on a trip organised by the school.

Her condition started deteriorating there and she was brought back to Panchkula and admitted at Alchemist Hospital. She was referred to the PGI this morning where she was sent to isolation ward. However, due to her critical condition her life could not be saved, said Gera.

The health officials at Panchkula were already informed about the death and had been asked to spot the persons, including students of the school who remained in close touch with the deceased, he said.

Meanwhile, after the samples of two more students were found positive for swine flu the DAV Public School Management, Sectors 8-C, and 39-D, Chandigarh, has decided to close the schools till November 15.

Till now four students from DAV Public School, Sector 8-C, have been found suffering from swine flu. Now, schools would re-open on November 16 (Monday). Another student was found suffering from swine flu in Government Model School, Sector 33, following which the health authorities quarantined all teachers of the school and fumigated the area.