Amidst the panic over the spread of swine flu in city, two fresh cases of swine flu have been tested positive. A 75-year-old woman, Chilu Dutta, a resident of Kadma, who was suffering from pneumonia and high fever and suspected of swine flu and admitted in a critical condition on March 19 at the ICU ward of the Bistupur-based Kantilal Gandhi Memorial Hospital was on Monday confirmed of swine flu. She eventual died on March 20 night.
Confirming the reports, the East Singhbhum district integrated diseases surveillance program (IDSP) officer, Sahir Pall, said that a total of four throat swabs samples were sent on March 19 and March 20 to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) Kolkata for confirmatory tests. Two of them have been confirmed positive.
Apart from Chilu Rani Dutta, the other positive case was of a 34-year-old Tata Main Hospital doctor Sudeshna Ganguly. Swine Flu death in Jamshedpur have sent alarm bell ringing through the state health department. Earlier, the 50-year-old woman Sudha Joshi was a resident of Sundernagar admitted in Brahmananda Narayana Super Speciality Hospital at Tamolia and 29-year-old man, Jai lal Jaiswal a resident of Purulia Road in Mango, admitted in CCU of Tata Main Hospital. Both of them succumbed to the diseases.
“ Though the woman was administered Tamiflu but due to illness she succumbed to death on March 20 ,” said an official at the hospital who had treated the woman. Meanwhile, IDSP officer said that the condition of the TMH doctor has improved considerably. “She has recovered fully and might be discharged soon as she did not have any underlying illness and was administered Tamiflu soon after admission at the hospital,” said Shahir Pall.
The reports of the two other patients namely, a 28-year-old woman and 35-year-old patient from Jamadoba who had also been admitted at Tata Main Hospital have turned negative. So far, five samples out of a total samples of 13 have turned positive in the city. Concerned over the situation the IDSP officer, Shahir Pall today wrote to the Jusco, a Tata Steel subsidiary, to intensify their awareness campaign on swine flu in company areas.
Sources at the district civil surgeon’s office revealed that Railway Hospital in Khasmahal, Tata Main Hospital, Tata Motors Hospital, Mercy Hospital and MGM Medical College and Hospital have been asked to keep isolation wards ready as a precautionary step. Moreover, mobile medical unit has been started at the Tatanagar railway station from today. A helpdesk was also set up.