THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following reports of suspected deaths of four mentally differently abled people, including a 10-year-old boy, at Vilappil grama panchayat due to H1N1, the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities G Harikumar sought a report from the Thiruvananthapuram DMO. The Health Department which submitted a preliminary report to the Commissioner on Wednesday said upon analysing the diagnostic history of patients it has been established there is only one confirmed case of H1N1 and the remaining deaths were due to pneumonia and other complications.
Commenting on the development, DMO Dr P P Preetha said, “We had gone through the case history of the four patients. It has been surmised of the four only one had been confirmed with H1N1.”
The confirmed case has been identified as 10-year-old Jithin. According to the DMO, the case has been confirmed by sending the throat swab to Manipal Centre for Virus Research. In the case of the other three cases, who were between 32 and 35 years of age, one had developed aspiration pneumonia and the other two had developed viral pneumonia and neural problems.
Meanwhile, District Surveillance Officer said an epidemiologist was sent to the grama panchayat and an awareness campaign will be conducted.