COIMBATORE: Three more people have died of suspected H1N1 infections here.
A 78-year-old man from Palani in Dindugal district passed away in the wee hours of Monday at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).The patient was referred here from a private hospital in Papanaikanpalayam on Sunday. He had co-morbid conditions of diabetes and coronary heart disease. He tested positive for H1N1.
A 47-year-old man from PN Pudur, suspected to be H1N1 positive, too died within two hours of his admission in CMCH. He died due to Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome and respiratory failure due to pneumonia in both his lungs. He was referred from a private hospital, where he was treated for 10 days.
Another 35-year-old man from Chinnametupalayam near Saravanampatti died at a private hospital in Pappanaickenpalayam on Sunday night. According to the hospital, the man died of respiratory failure due to pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome.
As of Monday evening, there were 29 patients at CMCH admitted for H1N1 infection. Of them, 21 patients are from Coimbatore, five from Tirupur, two from Erode and one from Namakkal. Of them, 20 are women. The youngest of the patients is aged 13. The hospital has also recorded three dengue cases and 65 fever cases.
“Many people approach private hospitals and clinics. Though doctors there know how to treat, they take time to diagnose the disease. But the time lost can cost patients their lives,” said a senior doctor in the CMCH.