PUNE: As many as 56 people succumbed to swine flu in Maharashtra till October 11, taking the state’s H1N1 death count to 216 this year so far.Of the 216 deaths, a maximum of 159 occurred in September, with Nashik accounting for 69 deaths, followed by Pune city (41) and Pimpri Chinchwad (32), the latest report of the state health department has revealed.Besides, the condition of 51 patients infected with the contagion is currently critical and they have been put on ventilator support at different hospitals across the state. “Of these, maximum 35 are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Pune city alone,” a health official said.“Swine flu cases continue to be on the rise in the state. The virus infected 61 people and claimed 17 lives on Thursday (October 11) alone. As many as 56 people have succumbed to the contagion between October 1 and 11,” Sanjeev Kamble, director of the state health department, said.“We have already increased our surveillance work, under which suspected patients are being timely screened and treated to arrest mortality. An assessment of deceased patients showed that delay in treatment was one of the main reasons for the complications and resultant death. We have also asked medical practitioners to administer oseltamivir to patients with co-morbid conditions within 24 hours,” Kamble said.Experts attributed the sharp rise in swine flu cases and deaths in the state in the last two months to extended rainfall, wide fluctuation in day and night temperatures and co-circulation of other influenza.Satara has recorded 26 H1N1 casualties, followed by Kolhapur (13), Aurangabad (10), Akola (8) and Nagpur (6).

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