Soumitra Nandi
Kolkata: Four people died of swine flu in the last 24 hours taking the toll to 13 in West Bengal since January while another ten tested positive for swine flu virus. 

Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Moloy Dey said on Saturday,” Two of the dead were children (aged 2-5 years), one from the city while another from North 24 Parganas district. Both the children were in critical condition and were fighting for life since being admitted to the hospital last month." 

The other two patients are women in their 60s, one from Hooghly district, added a health department official. Aroshi Banerjee one and half years old died at the institute of Child Health while another child died at a private hospital at  Eastern Metropolitan  Bypass under Phoolbagan police station area. The two adults Jyotsna Bhar died at the Beleghata Infectious Disease Hospital while S. Mondal died at a private hospital at Alipore in South Kolkata.

 A senior health department official said, "All the four patients were under ventilation since the day they were admitted. They had multiple-organ failure that led to their death. One of the two adults was having cardiac issues while another was highly diabetic." 

With ten fresh H1NI positive cases reported in past one day, the number of swine flu-infected people in the state mounted to 199, indicated sources in the health department.

Meanwhile, the state health department expressed dissatisfaction over the show-cause report furnished by four private hospitals in the city. The health department had issued show-cause notice to the four hospitals as allegations had cropped up against them regarding refusal of swine flu patients.

A health department official said,” We have given the concerned hospital authorities another chance. If their show-cause reply is found to be unsatisfactory in the second time also then stern action will be taken.”