Kanchi Village Woman Dies of Suspected Swine Flu

CHENNAI:  The death of a 55-year-old woman triggered swine flu scare in the city.

According to sources, Malliga, who hails from Musaravakkam village in Kancheepuram district, was admitted to a private hospital in Porur a week ago for treatment of fever. When her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Saturday night.

She died on Sunday morning without responding to treatment. According to her family members, Malliga was diagnosed for swine flu. However, her death report specified respiratory failure and sepsis shock as the cause. The report also mentioned H1N1 (swine flu), but with a question mark.

In a related development, Health Minister Vijayabaskar on Wednesday reviewed special fever camps that are being conducted at four medical colleges hospitals in Chennai.

Meanwhile, in Nagapattinam, the death of a nine-month-old foetus in-utero after the pregnant mother contracted swine flu, on Tuesday, created panic in Melavanjur village. The baby was almost full term in Deepa’s (25) womb when H1N1 struck and was diagnosed very late. She is now being treated at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital (MGMH) at Tiruchy and is recovering, said her family.

After Deepa was confirmed of H1N1, health officials conducted a door-to-door survey at Melavanjur to rule out a possible outbreak. No H1N1 suspect cases could be detected in the locality. 

Deepa’s father Rasu Thevar informed he had shifted her to Melavanjur a week prior to Deepavali, to ensure better care during her final trimester.

 Deepa was said to have developed prolonged fever and was taken to a private nursing home in Nagapattinam on November 15. Doctors there referred her to a private hospital in Tiruchy where she was screened and suspected to have H1N1 influenza. She was then taken to the MGMH for confirmation and further treatment. Doctors at there told her parents that it was too late for them to save the in-utero baby.

Speaking to Express, Dr Suresh, deputy director of health said, “Preventive measures are underway. The medical team that treated the victim in a private nursing home here was provided with Tamiflu tablets. The private nursing home misdiagnosed the illness of Deepa as a respiratory problem that is common during late pregnancy.

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