PUDUCHERRY: Two elderly persons suffering from swine flu died in the Union Territory recently.
While a 55-year-old woman, Premalatha of Govindan Chettiar Thottam Vanarapet, who was getting treatment at JIPMER died on Saturday, an old man from Mudaliarpet also died at JIPMER a week earlier after contracting swine flu, confirmed K V Raman, director of health and family welfare. Both the persons had other health complications also, he added.
Premalatha had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as from dermatology problems, sources in JIPMER said. After testing positive for swine flu, she came to the JIPMER OPD where she was given 10 days of Tami flu and also put under ventilator support for some time.
However she was shifted to medicine ward and while undergoing treatment for dermatology, she died. The old man who died earlier was suffering from leukemia when he contracted swine flu, authorities said.
AIADMK state secretary A Anbazhagan MLA on Monday urged the administration to vaccinate the people against swine flu and take steps to prevent its spread in Puducherry. Talking to the media here, Anbazhagan said people in his Ouppalam constituency were afraid after a woman died of swine flu at Vanarapet in his constituency. ‘It is the duty of the government to allay the fears of the public,’ he said.
The AIADMK state secretary also urged the administration to make available swine flu vaccine in all primary health centres.