Pallavi Kwatra, a Class X student of Moti Ram Arya School, Sector 7, Panchkula, had reported fever and flu-like symptoms in the last 3-4 days. Despite the symptoms, the girl went to a school trip to Naina Devi and Anandpur Sahib on November 7 and returned a day later. According to her uncle Gagan, who was taking care of her on Sunday as her parents had gone to Jalandhar, Pallavi’s condition deteriorated after she returned from the trip on Sunday.

“We first took her to a private clinic but there was no improvement in her condition. We then took her to Alchemist Hospital in Panchkula at 3.30 am on Monday and she was admitted there. After performing tests, doctors said it could be a case of swine flu and referred us to the PGI,” said Gagan.

According to PGI authorities, the patient reached the hospital at 10.30 am and died within an hour.

“She was bleeding from the mouth due to severe infection in her lungs. Reports indicated that her lungs were completely damaged and she could not breathe properly. The family took the patient to emergency from where she was sent to the isolation ward where her throat swab sample was collected,” said UT nodal swine flu officer H C Gera. Before the sample results confirmed that Pallavi was H1N1 positive, she had died.

Pallavi lived in a joint family with her father, mother, uncles and their families. Her elder brother is studying in the US and would reach Chandigarh on Tuesday for the cremation. Her family is runs a export business.

According to Panchkula swine flu nodal officer Dr Jagmaal Singh, 11 members of her family, including a driver and a servant have been quarantined and two samples have been collected for testing.

88 students quarantined
Eighty-eight students had gone to trip with Pallavi and of these six samples have been collected for testing. School principal Uma Kapadia said the school will remain closed on Tuesday and the decision of further closing the school for a week will be taken tomorrow. All the 88 students have been quarantined.