CHENNAI: Swine flu: 3 cases in city, 1 dead in Thanjavur

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 29, 2010:

CHENNAI: After a gap of about 10 months, three suspected cases of swine flu (AH1N1) have been reported in the city. A senior public health official from Chennai Corporation confirmed the three suspected cases and alerted schools and colleges in its limit to screen students who had visited Kerala recently.
Reports said one man died in Thanjavur on June 26 and three suspected cases were reported in Chennai. The first case was reported from Chennai Port Trust Hospital where a 24 year old, who returned from Trivandrum recently, was admitted with high fever more than 10 days ago.
The second suspected swine flu case was a middle aged woman and the third, a youth from suburban Avadi. The 24 year old was admitted to GH from Port Trust Hospital. Speaking to Express, a Port Trust Hospital official said that the youth was hurriedly shifted to Government General Hospital on June 25 without citing any reason.
"Our suspicion that swine flu could be the reason for his sudden transfer gained ground on Monday when a senior medical officer of Port Trust Hospital asked us to undergo mandatory screening for any infection and advised all of us to get vaccinated," a middle level health official of the hospital said.
The ward in Port Trust Hospital where the youth was admitted before being moved to GH was sanitized on Monday morning and access to the room was restricted.