CHENNAI: Yet another person succumbed to swine flu in the city on Thursday, taking the toll in the State to 12 so far.
According to health department officials, Amirthalakshmi (36) from Egmore was referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital from a private hospital in the city with acute respiratory problem. However, she died on the way to the GH, officials said.
Amirthalakshmi developed severe infection and was admitted to the private hospital three days ago. She tested positive at the private hospital, which incidentally did not have the clearance from the Directorate of Public Health to run the test, sources said. She was referred to the GH only on Thursday after her condition worsened. However, officials could not confirm if it was a case of delayed treatment.
Her body will be handed over to relatives on Friday morning, officials said, adding that Tamiflu tablets will be provided to all persons who came in contact with Amirthalakshmi in the last few days.On Wednesday, a 41-year-old businessman from Tirupur district had succumbed to the viral attack while undergoing treatment at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. So far there have been 12 Swine Flu deaths in the State. Officials said 320 persons have tested positive for H1N1 virus that causes the dreaded flu, out of the over 2,600 who were tested.Of this, 183 people have recovered fully while 103 are still undergoing treatment in hospitals, said health secretary J Radhakrishnan.
Senior officials say the virus attack would reduce drastically by the end of March due to the change in climate. Officials added that the deaths were often due to delayed treatment and self medication.