A 39-year-old man died of H1N1 (swine flu) at a private hospital in the city early on Friday morning.
According to officials at the Directorate of Public Health, Nagaraj of Perambur had developed fever and respiratory illness about a week ago. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the locality.
However, his condition worsened, and he was then admitted to Mehta Hospital on March 13, with breathlessness. He was started on Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) immediately and tested positive for H1N1 but did not respond to treatment and died, an official said.
With this, the swine flu toll, this year, in Chennai touched two, and in Tamil Nadu, reached 14. Monday’s death of a two-and-a-half-year-old at the same hospital was later classified as death due to hepatocellular failure and not due to H1N1, officials said.
On Friday, 10 new positive cases were reported across the State, taking the total number of reported infections in the State this year to 518.
Meanwhile, another man, Sekar (58) of Saidapet, who had tested positive for H1N1 also died on Friday morning. However, officials said his death was not due to H1N1, since he died of diabetic ketoacidosis followed by respiratory failure.
Hospital officials said contact treatment had begun and tablets were being distributed.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Public Health has begun orienting major private hospitals across the State on protocols and guidelines in dealing with H1N1 (swine flu).
“We first explain to them what the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939, says with regard to certain diseases, the notification procedures, etc. In general, each registered medical practitioner has his/her own style of treatment. But when it comes to diseases under this Act, they are bound to follow government guidelines,” said S. Balasubramanian, joint director (epidemics).
When it came to testing and treatment, some guidelines were not followed, he said. “For instance, a lot of hospitals take blood tests to check for the virus, when as per guidelines, only throat swabs should be used,” he said.
On Friday, 10 new positive cases were reported across the State, taking the total number to 518
