Two women died of suspected H1N1 in Hassan district on Tuesday. The cause of death has not yet been ascertained, as the examination of their blood samples is not yet over.
Yashoda (31), resident of Devarayapatna near Hassan, and Veena (25) of Nandagowdanahalli in Belur taluk, died on Tuesday.
Neighbours of the dead in both the villages are worried now. When this reporter visited Devarayapatna on Wednesday morning, a woman was asking a Health Department staff member whether throat pain was also a symptom of the disease.
“Death of Yashoda has made all of us think about the disease. Though it is not yet clear whether she died of H1N1, we have become cautious of even a slight change in our body temperature”, said Nagaraju, resident of the village.
The Health Department has conducted surveillance in Devarayanapatna and Nandagowdanahalli following the death of the two women.
There are 92 houses in Devarayapatna. During the survey, the department staff did not find anyone with H1N1 symptoms.
However, in Nandagowdanahalli, four family members of Veena were found suffering from severe cold and fever. The medical officer of the primary health centre at Arehalli has recommended the final members for treatment in Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences.
R. Venkatesh, District Health Officer, told The Hindu on Wednesday that there was no need to panic about H1N1 cases in Hassan. “The two deaths reported in the district are suspected cases. We have been repeatedly conveying that so far it is not clear to say that the two women died of H1N1. The samples are being examined in Manipal,” he added.
COMMents
SHARE