Fehmida Panwala is India's second swine flu victim

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A 53-year-old woman died of swine flu here Saturday evening, as the influenza A(H1N1) virus claimed its second victim in India in less than a week, officials said.



The woman, identified as Fehmida Panwala, a Mumbai resident, died at Kasturba hospital here, Maharashtra's Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sharvari Gokhale told IANS.

A resident of Jogeshwari suburb in northwest Mumbai, Fehmida was Tuesday admitted to a hospital near her residence for diabetes and hypertension problems.

On Friday, she was admitteed in the Lilavati Hospital for a few hours. Her condition worsened and she was rushed to the Kasturba Hospital in the evening. Her sample was taken Saturday morning and she was diagnosed with influenza A(H1N1) in the afternoon.

"She tested positive for swine flu and passed away this (Saturday) evening," Gokhale said.

This is India's second swine flu death after 14-year-old Reeda Shaikh succumbed to the disease in Pune Monday.

Accodring to official figures, over 720 people in India have tested positive for swine flu so far, though over 500 of them have been discharged after being treated.

Maharashtra has reported over 260 cases and 160 are from Pune, the city that has been declared pandemic-hit. A doctor and a pharmacist, both influenza A(H1N1) patients, continued to be critical for the second day Saturday.

In Mumbai, 28-year-old businessman Sandeep Gaikwad, who was admitted to the Hiranandani Hospital after developing swine flue symptoms last week, turned critical Friday and was put on a ventilator.

Following Reeda's death, the state and central governments have announced strict guidelines to deal with suspected swine flu cases.

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