Officials rule out H1N1 outbreak in Tiruvallur

CHENNAI: Twenty five people from Tiruvallur admitted to various hospitals in the city with symptoms of H1N1 have tested negative for the flu, public health officials said on Thursday.
One child who tested positive for the infection is undergoing treatment in the Institute of Child Health at Egmore, while the postmortem reports of three people from the same locality in Tiruvallur who died are yet to come.
Twenty six people, including 21 children, are now undergoing treatment at ICH and Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital. “All of them have been diagnosed with viral pneumonia or lower respiratory tract infection,” said director of public health K Kolandaswamy. They tested negative for vector and water-borne infections like dengue, typhoid and jaundice, he added .
All the patients live in 16 huts beside a canal on Ellaiamman Koil Street, New Gummudipoondi. The infection came to light on Saturday when a village health nurse went there to meet a pregnant woman who skipped a blood test at a primary health centre in Kavarapatti. “The nurse found she had had an abortion and she was running a temperature. Others in the locality had similar symptoms, including cough, cold and fever,” said DPH deputy director J Prabhakaran. They were rushed to government hospitals in Chennai, around 40km away.
While Srinivasan, 28, and Angammal, 54, died on Monday, Ramesh, 20, passed away on Tuesday.
Doctors initially suspected the cases to be H1N1, but reports on Thursday ruled out the infection. “All the patients are stable and are being closely monitored in the isolation wards,” said a senior paediatrician at ICH. Patient attenders, doctors and paramedical staff have also been given medicines to prevent cross infection in the hospital.
H1N1 is a contagious strain of influenza virus spread through saliva and mucus particles. It may be spread by sneezing, coughing, touching a germ-covered surface.
The health department has set up a round-the-clock medical camp in the locality and around 57 health inspectors and village health nurses are going from door-to-door surveying people who may have similar symptoms. “We are covering around 982 houses in New Gummudipoondi area,” said Prabhakaran.
Tiruvallur collector E Sundaravalli said pattas had been issued for the 16 affected families. “We have identified a site a kilometer from the current spot where 16 houses will be constructed at Rs 2.3 lakh each,” she said. The collectorate is also holding screening camps in 103 tribal settlements in the district.