Swine flu: First blood in TN

The dreaded swine flu claimed its first victim in Chennai when a four-year-old boy tested positive for A (H1N1) virus, died in a private hospital at Chetpet this morning.

This was the first swine flu death reported from the Chennai city and sixth in the country.
. The boy, Sanjay, a UKG student, was suffering from multiple organ failure and was admitted to Dr Mehta’s Hospital. Even as he was battling for life, medical tests on the boy had revealed on Saturday that he was down with the flu.

Samples were sent to the King Institute of Medicine at Guindy for tests, and the reports were positive.
After informing the Health authorities and the Communicable Diseases Hospital at Tondiarpet where suspected swine flu cases were quarantined, the hospital had been given the Tamiflu drug.

The boy, who was put on ventilator, was administered the drug yesterday. Despite the treatment, the boy, suffering from asthma, severe diarrhoea, fever and breathing difficulty, besides kidney and liver failures, died at 8.55 am today.

As the news of the death spread, the management of Akshaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, where Sanjay was studying, had declared a week- long holiday.

All the three campuses of the school at Velacheri, Nanganallur and Gopalapuram would be closed for a week, sources said. The students of the Velacheri school where Sanjay had studied, were also being checked for possible swine flu.

The residents of the apartment, where Sanjay was living, were also subjected to swine flu tests after three people — his older brother and two others in the flat — reportedly tested positive.

Not to take any chances, the Health Department had advised parents not to send their wards, having cough and fever, to school to prevent the spread of virus.

Briefing mediapersons at a joint press meet, Dr Mehta’s Hospital paediatric nephrologist Dr N Prahlad said the deceased had been in the hospital for a week for multiple organ failure.

‘The child was also suffering from asthma and severe diarrhoea, fever and breathing difficulties’, he said, adding that medical tests done on the child, who was put on ventilator, to find out the reasons for multiple organ failure, tested positive for swine flu.

Speaking to reporters, Dr S Palanivelu, senior regional director (Health & Family Welfare), Tamilnadu, said various investigations would be taken in and around Velachery for the exact reason for epidemic in that particular pocket was not known.

‘The funeral of the victim will be done after holding consultations with various officials concerned including State Healthcare Department and we strictly follow the protocol’, he added.

In Tamilnadu, there are about 42 cases of the possible swine flu who are undergoing treatment now’, he further said. When asked about the names of the parents, the hospital authorities denied that it was not necessary at this point of time.

It is reportedly said a few women who had been delivered of babies at the hospital wanted to get discharged immediately.

JIPMER equipped

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) here was fully equipped for treating swine flu cases, a senior official of the institution said here today.

Director of JIPMER Dr K S V K Subba Rao told PTI that four persons with suspected swine flu were admitted few days ago. However they were tested negative.

Rao said that four doctors from Department of Microbiology and Community Medicine had undergone special trainining in New Delhi to handle the swine flu cases, he said.

Puducherry Home and Health Minister E Valsaraj had stated in the Assembly a few days ago that no case of swine flu has been reported in the Union Territory.

Health authorities were keeping close vigil and no case had been reported from anywhere in Puducherry, he said.

School shut in B’galore

A private school here today closed its primary wing for a week as a precautionary measure following the swine flu scare in the country.

School sources said the step had been taken after several schools were closed in Pune in neighbouring Maharashtra where the viral disease claimed a 14-year-old girl’s life.

Karnataka has so far recorded about 85 confirmed cases of swine flu.