Three more deaths have been reported allegedly due to swine flu in Tamil Nadu. A 41-year-old woman, identified as Meenakshi Kasimayan, was admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital on Friday morning with a high fever. She succumbed to her illness on Friday evening.
It was noted that the woman succumbed to a swine flu infection and that her comorbid ailments may have aggravated the onset of the infection. The woman was known to also be combating diabetes as well as multiple other health issues.
Another death was reported at the same hospital on Sunday evening. 70-year-old Veeramal was tested at a private hospital for swine flu. After the reports came back positive, she was brought to the government hospital for admission and treatment.
However, she too sadly succumbed to the disease, on Sunday evening. “The tests results from the private hospital showed a positive result for H1N1. However, ur hospital reports are awaited and we cannot officially say anything until those reports return and we have them in hand,” said an official from the hospital.
Prior to these cases, a 60-year-old from Kanyakumari, identified as Teresa Josephine Rani, had succumbed to the swine flu last week on October 12. The Nagercoil native had tested positive for H1N1 at a private hospital in Kanyakumari, after which she was admitted to Asaripallam Government Hospital in Kanyakumari for treatment.
"We are seeing many suspected cases on a regular basis. We see at least five to 10 suspected cases every day, but that doesn't mean that there should be unnecessary panic. “We have all the necessary measures in place and are equipped to diagnose and treat anyone as needed,” a Health Department official told TNM.
According to reports, four other individuals are currently being treated for swine flu at the government hospital in Kanyakumari.
In other parts of Tamil Nadu, four members of one family were suspected to have contracted the illness in Tirunelveli district. Of the four, one person’s test reports were noted to have shown positive results for H1N1.
Many people who have so far succumbed to the flu, were known to be suffering from other underlying health conditions, which had affected their ability to fight off the infection. It has been noted that swine flu tends to be more aggressive in such individuals.
Earlier, it was reported that a number of people were admitted with suspected viral fevers in Chennai’s Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital. “These are seasonal infections, nothing out of the ordinary. We did have four people who were admitted for dengue also, but they have availed proper treatment and are showing significant improvement,” dean of the hospital Dr Jayanthi told TNM.
At the time, four adults had been admitted to the special ward set up at the hospital for treatment. She had further added that only one case of suspected swine flu had been brought to her attention in the hospital, but that the person had improved and recovered.
Swine flu or H1N1 is caused by the influenza A virus. High fever, persistent cough, cold, sore throat, nausea, headache and vomiting are the most common symptoms of the flu. A throat swab and culture is the test done to determine whether someone is H1N1 positive.