TN joins swine flu casualty club

Four-and-half-year-old B Sanjay, a student of Akshayah Matriculation School, LIC Colony, Tansi Nagar in Velachery, became the first victim of swine flu in Chennai on Monday. Sanjay, who was admitted to Dr Mehta's Hospital after being treated in other private hospitals for multiple organ dysfunction, tested positive for swine flu on Saturday evening. He was admitted to the hospital with a kidney problem as well as liver and lung disorders. He had a history of asthma, but had never travelled abroad.

Sanjay was put on ventilator and breathed his last at 8.30 am on Monday. Soon after, doctors and the government announced he had died of multiple organ failure, compounded with H1N1 virus. "He came here  with multi-order problems. He suffered from kidney, liver and lung problems and during the battery of tests we conducted, we found he was H1N1-infected too," paediatric nephrologist Dr Prahalad, and senior regional director, department of health and family welfare Dr Palanivel told reporters at the hospital.

The school in which Sanjay was studying, and several other schools in the Velachery area, have been closed for a week as a precautionary measure. The government is calling a high-level meeting, to be chaired by chief minister M Karunanidhi, to decide on the future course of action. "We will discuss at length the measures required to tackle the situation. There is no panic, I reiterate it is the responsibility of the media and reporters to ensure that there is no panic reaction," chief minister M Karunanidhi told reporters.

Meanwhile, the 11-year-old brother and mother of Sanjay are also reported to have tested positive for H1N1 virus, along with a couple of neighbours. The government, however, refused to confirm or deny the same stating that they are awaiting reports.

Sanjay's father, who was initially suspected to have carried the virus after recently returning from Singapore, tested negative for swine flu. As a precautionary measure, the government has asked 17 people with whom the family came in close contact in the last few days to take Tamilflu tablets.

2 new cases, 5 fresh suspects
The total number of confirmed swine flu cases being treated in various government hospitals in Tamil Nadu rose to 14 on Monday. Two fresh cases were reported at Tiruchi and patients were being treated in quarantine wards.

Two patients are being treated in Coimbatore, one at Coimbatore Government Medical College Hospital and another in a private nursing home, while 10 are being treated at the Communicable Diseases Hospital, Chennai.

Five new suspects, including two schoolkids, a software engineer, a law student from Pune and a doctor were suspected to have shown swine flu symptoms in Coimbatore.

Across the states

West Bengal
Two Koreans visiting Kolkata were admitted to Infectious Disease Hospital on Monday with symptoms of swine flu. Their throat swabs have been sent for further investigations. Altogether, 61 patients have been admitted at the ID hospital with flu symptoms, of which 10 have tested positive. Trinamool Congress MP, Sudip Bandopadhyay, on Monday visited the ID hospital to review the treatment facilities there.

Rajasthan
An 18-year-old girl suffering from swine flu was admitted to Maharana Bhupal Hospital in Udaipur on Monday. The girl studies in a Pune college and had returned home a couple of days back. She has been kept in the isolation ward. Another Pune student, 20-year-old Tanvi Sahay, was admitted to SMS Hospital, Jaipur after being suspected of having flu symptoms. So far 4 cases of H1N1 have been found in Rajasthan.

Kerala
A high-level meeting on Monday chaired by health minister PK Sreemathi decided to set up helplines in all districts to create proper awareness among the people. Some private hospitals would now also be allowed to treat patients affected by the virus. Meanwhile, a man in Kozhikode tested positive for H1N1. At least 55 people have been quarantined across the state.

Karnataka
At least two junior doctors at the swine flu centre at Government Chest Hospital in Hyderabad are under scanner after they showed symptoms of the flu. The centre has so far registered 74 swine flu cases. Of these, 72 have been discharged while two are still in the isolation ward. The state government is now evaluating the option of setting up a lab in Hyderabad instead of sending samples to Delhi.

Haryana
Haryana on Monday invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act to cope up with the rising number of H1N1 cases--the latest being a doctor from Sirsa. In all 11 cases have been detected so far. While Gurgaon continues to be in the high-risk category from where eight cases have been reported so far, two more cases have been detected in Panipat in the last few days. A report on two suspect cases is awaited.