COIMBATORE: A 52-year-old Tirupur woman died of rat fever (leptospirosis) on Wednesday, while three more persons were diagnosed with the disease in the district. The woman, S Gandhimathi – an anganwadi worker of Thekkalur in Tirupur district – had gone to Kerala for flood relief work and was suspected to have contracted the disease during her time there.
According to Health department officials, she was admitted to various hospitals before being shifted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) when her condition worsened. She had several complications including jaundice and diabetics. Despite the treatment, she died on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a 70-year-old man from Valparai was diagnosed with the disease though the official test report was yet to be released. Ponniyan (70) had fallen ill and admitted to a private hospital on Avinashi Road earlier this week. When his condition became critical, he was moved to CMCH. “He has all the symptoms of rat fever. He is being monitored by a team of doctors,” a senior CMCH official said.
Two more men from Gudalur of The Nilgiris were also diagnosed with leptospirosis at a private hospital on Avinashi Road. Both of them, less than 30 years of age, had been working in Kerala over the past few weeks. Upon their return to Gudalur, they fell ill and were treated in various hospitals. It was only on Tuesday that they were admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore, where they were given the diagnosis, an official in The Nilgiris Health department said.