Bhubaneswar: The first Swine Flu casualty of the year was reported today with the death of person at a private hospital here even as the Health department claimed that it is fully prepared to tackle the situation in State.
The deceased is from Visakhapatnam, but he temporarily resided in Bhubaneswar, Health Minister Pratap Jena said.
Total 24 patients affected with H1N1 virus are undergoing treatment so far in State including fresh six persons who were tested positive on Friday.
A total of 16 swabs were examined on August 4 out of which six were found positive- four from the Capital city and one each from Cuttack and Sundergarh.
Of the 154 samples tested so far, 24 have been found positive.
Meanwhile, the H1N1 virus affected persons have been admitted to different hospitals in the Smart city- two each at KIIMS and AMRI and one each at SPARSH and Apollo Hospital.
The State government on the other hand issued special guidelines for different hospitals to tackle cases of Swine Flu. The health department also issued dos and don’ts for general public and increased awareness drive to prevent the spread of influenza.