RAMANATHAPURAM
A 45-year-old man from Ilangovadigal Street in front of the Government headquarters hospital here died of suspected H1N1 virus attack (commonly known as swine flu) on Tuesday.
S. Balaji, the deceased, who had fever for about a week, was reportedly diagnosed with H1N1 after he was taken to a private hospital on Monday night. He was referred to a speciality hospital in Madurai and died within hours after admission on Tuesday morning.
The death certificate said the patient died of viral pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Sepsis with Multi-organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) and Coagulopathy. He was admitted at 1.35 a.m. and died at 7.35 p.m., the certificate said.
The hospital authorities handed over the body tightly packed with plastic sheets and advised the family members to dispose of it as soon as possible. The family members after performing the last rites buried the body within hours.
This was the first death of suspected swine flu in the district, sources said. Taking note of the incident, the Joint Director of Health has instructed health department officials to take immediate precautionary measures in the affected area to prevent possible spread of the virus.
The deceased was a daily wage worker in the local vegetable market. “We will spread bleaching powder, clean the entire area and ask the people in the area to wash their hands with soap water,” S. Kumaragurubaran, Deputy Director of Health Services, said.
The health workers had asked the family members of the deceased to clean the house thoroughly and take Tamiflu tablets, he said.
Balaji had been suffering from fever for more than a week and was on self-medication. After his condition deteriorated, the family members took him to a private hospital here on Monday night, sources close to the family said.
Three months ago, a swine flu case was reported here, but the patient, who came from a foreign country after contracting the virus, was given timely treatment and saved, sources in Public Health department said.
