Swine Flu Scare in Pune, India Continues

The swine flu scare has spread throughout the Indian city of Pune. The death of a 70-year-old woman from the H1N1 virus has led authorities to take precautionary steps by shutting down wholesale vegetable markets for three days beginning on Thursday the 13th. [Suresh Waigankar, Vegetable Vendor]: “I am not worried about the financial losses. I am more concerned about my health. It is not only the vegetable market that is closed, but the whole of Pune is closed.” And with the wholesale markets closed, vendors can’t buy more vegetables to sell, so they’re raising prices to cover the losses. [Sunita Ranjane, Housewife]: “In the morning when I went to buy vegetables, I found out that vegetables which were available at the price of 15 rupees a kilogram, are now being sold at 18 to 20 rupees a kilogram.” The markets will reopen on Sunday the 16th. There have been 22 H1N1 deaths in India, with 15 of them being in Pune city alone. India recorded its first H1N1 case in the southern city of Hyderabad in May. Since then the virus has spread across the country with dozens of cases reported in Pune city alone. The H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, emerged in April in the United States and Mexico, and has spread internationally. The World Health Organization declared an H1N1 influenza epidemic on June 11. The virus has killed more than 800 people worldwide since emerging in April.