A senior citizen has become the fourth fatality linked to H1N1 in the district. The 64-year-old woman from Thudiyalur died at the exclusive ward established for H1N1 at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Tuesday.
She was admitted on February 27 with fever.
However, her condition deteriorated rapidly in the recent days as she was diabetic.
The Public Health Department has administered prophylactic treatment to all her relatives and also to those who had come in contact with her.
Further, the department was testing them for H1N1 virus.
Health workers have sprayed disinfectants in their residence and in the locality.
Nearly 41 H1N1 cases have been reported in Coimbatore district this year.
Ten persons are undergoing treatment in the hospital’s H1N1 ward.
Mobile medical units
S. Somasundaram, Deputy Director of Health Services, told The Hindu here on Tuesday that the department had deployed its 12 ‘hospitals-on-wheels’ in rural areas of the district, where a large number of fever cases were reported.
Built in Rajasthan for providing treatment and safe transport of patients, the vans are equipped with ECG, blood testing and other laboratory equipment and a television set to conduct awareness programmes about dengue and H1N1 virus.
“The Coimbatore Corporation has deployed two mobile medical units to tackle fever cases. The Health Department is providing technical assistance. Areas with high concentration of fever cases have already been identified,” he said.
He advised people to undergo tests only at laboratories certified for the purpose.
Private hospitals would face legal action under the Public Health Act if they performed unauthorised H1N1 tests, he added.
Coimbatore district has two private laboratories that were accredited to perform H1N1 testing. Further, the CMCH has an accredited laboratory.
The Deputy Director also directed all private hospitals to request the public to refrain from panicking.