CHENNAI: A 35-year-old woman who had tested positive for the (A) H1N1 virus on Sunday, passed away at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Monday. According to Director of Public Health RT Porkai Pandian, Manjula, a native of Tirupporur in Kancheepuram, had come down with an incessant fever and throat pain a week ago. After local doctors referred her case to a private hospital here, she was admitted on April 20 and a throat swab was sent to test for the virus. “There was some suspicion that she might have had the virus, but treatment wasn’t started till the test results returned,” said an official in the health department.When the test results returned positive, the hospital is believed to have administered the treatment for swine flu. However, her respiratory condition worsened rapidly and the hospital apparently asked for her to be shifted to RGGGH on Monday. “A little after she arrived at the hospital, her condition deteriorated and she passed away,” he added. Doctors, however, claimed that she had no underlying conditions and that she was reasonably healthy before the fever.This is the third victim to have succumbed to the virus this year in the state and the second in the city. The other two who succumbed were Kanthasamy (75) from Tiruppur and Niveditha (22) from Villupuram. Ironically both persons who died in Chennai were not local residents, but were referred here for better care. This takes the total number of infected in the state to 77, as three more people tested positive for the virus on Monday. Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr VS Vijay has compulsarily asked private hospitals to start treatment for swine flu as soon as suspicious symptoms are spotted. He also said that if any hospital is unable to treat or take care of patients, they should immediately notify the health department or transfer them to a government hospital.
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