A 53-year-old man from Chennai died of complications from swine flu at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH) on Monday.
According to doctors, the man, P. Sreenivasan, a resident of Mannady, had first been admitted to a private hospital in the city. On Friday evening, (January 16), the man arrived at GH. “He was in very bad shape when he came in, with pneumonia. We administered Tamiflu and gave him all necessary treatment and support, but he died on Monday evening of respiratory failure around 5.30 pm,” said a senior doctor.
Officials at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, where the man’s test samples had been sent, confirmed that it was a case of H1N1.
Authorities at Apollo Hospital, where the man had first been admitted on January 15, claimed that he had been given Tamiflu there as well, but he had discharged himself against medical advice the following day. The man’s family has already been given prophylactic treatment, GH doctors said.
PTI adds:
TN government says no need for panic
Stepping in to allay fears, the State government said there was no need for panic as it was only a seasonal flu and not pandemic.
“It is no more pandemic even according to the WHO. It is only a seasonal flu. We have adequate stocks of Tamiflu (Oseltamivir phosphate),” Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan told PTI .
On Sreenivasan’s death, he said the patient got himself admitted to a private hospital only after five days of high-grade fever.
“It was a case of late reporting. After getting himself admitted in a private hospital he got himself discharged suddenly and came to government hospital,” he added.
Also, he had a travel history to Telangana which was witnessing swine flu cases, Mr. Radhakrishnan said.
“He had severe respiratory distress when he was admitted here. We provided all the requisite treatment as per the protocol. He died yesterday,” Dean, Madras Medical College and RGGGH R. Vimala said.
Director of Public Health K. Kulandaisamy said in most H1N1 cases, the death was not due to the virus alone.
“Even the three patients who died to the infection last year in the state were predisposed to other illnesses,” he said.
“It is about comorbid conditions, the presence of other illness which complicates and death is not due to the H1N1 infection alone,” he said.
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