The number of H1N1 cases was high in Chennai and Coimbatore as more number of people here travelled to other States and those from other States also came here in large numbers, according to Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department J. Radhakrishnan.
Speaking at a review meeting conducted by Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar on Friday, the Secretary said screening persons at the airport, railway stations and bus stands was important to control the spread of the flu. He asked the Health Department personnel to vaccinate persons before they travelled to high risk areas. The Secretary said that mobile medical units from nearby districts would also be deployed in Coimbatore to attend cases of H1N1 suspects.
He said that this year 341 persons have tested positive for the flu and 11 of them have died in the State. This included seven suffering from diabetes and other compoundable diseases such as asthma and heart ailments. Mr. Radhakrishnan also said that the State Government has stock of four lakh tamiflu tablets and has placed an order for three lakh more. While the available stock of personal protective kits was 5,000 an order has been placed for 20,000 more. He said that efforts have been taken to increase the number of private laboratories for testing samples of suspects with the flu.
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“In Coimbatore the number of beds in the isolated ward for treating H1N1 patients has been doubled, while availability of ventilators in the ward has also been increased to ten (from two),” he said. Health Department officials were also asked to supply tamiflu tablets to private hospitals.
Mr. Vijaya Baskar instructed the staff and officials of the Health Department to work together with the district administration, other departments and non-governmental organisations to make Tamil Nadu free from communicable diseases. He expressed the need to create awareness among school and college students on washing hands. Minister for Municipal and Local Administration S.P. Velumani, Collector Archana Patnaik, Corporation Mayor P. Rajkumar and Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan, Dean of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital A. Edwin Joe and officials from the health and other departments took part in the meeting.