A 17-year-old female nursing student, who arrived at her home in Vayalar near Cherthala here last week, has been confirmed of influenza A (H1N1).
According to the District Medical Officer, V.G. Raghunath, the girl was admitted with fever to the Cherthala Taluk Hospital earlier this week, from where her throat swab was sent to the Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore for testing. The swab tested positive and the news was conveyed to Dr. Raghunath here on Friday.
The patient is quarantined at her own residence after first being treated at the Cherthala Taluk Hospital, which is among the six Government hospitals in the district that have been designated as screening centres. The Josco Hospital at Pandalam, the Sahrudaya Hospital in Alappuzha, the Deepa Hospital in Haripad and the KVM Hospital at Cherthala have also been designated as screening centres while the Medical College Hospital at Vandanam is functioning as a tertiary care centre, Dr. Raghunath said.
Two swab samples, apart from that confirmed on Friday, were sent to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, New Delhi for analysis. The results are awaited. Three other persons suspected to have the flu were discharged and are under ‘home quarantine’ in Haripad, the DMO said.
