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TN under-reporting H1N1 deaths
Pushpa Narayan, TNN, Sep 2, 2010, 04.33am IST
CHENNAI: H1N1 continues to kill people in your city, but someone doesn't want you to know it. Test results and death certificates in TOI's possession show that at least three women died of H1N1 in the city in the last three weeks, but their names are yet to be listed in the H1N1 death records.
This means that Tamil Nadu, which has been taking credit for keeping the viral infection under control, has been under-reporting H1N1 cases. The state has shown just seven H1N1 deaths as against 767 in Maharashtra, 346 in Gujarat, 225 in Karnataka, 118 each in Delhi and Kerala, and 85 in Andhra Pradesh since May 2009. While director of public health Dr RT Porkai Pandian maintains that only six people in the state have so far died because of the infection ? and all from outside Chennai ? since January 2010, TOI has accessed medical results of three women in the city who tested positive for H1N1 and died soon after.
Annapoorna (32) died on August 29 in the Government General Hospital after being shifted from CSI Rainy Hospital, Royapuram. Four days ago, Zainabush Sakira, a resident of Nungambakkam, died in Apollo Hospitals, Greames Road. K Hemalatha, hailing from Cuddalore, died in Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Nandanam, on August 11. Samples of all the three women had tested positive for H1N1 at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine. However, when asked about these three cases, Dr Pandian said: "The state did not have them on record."
After Annapoorna's death, Chennai Corporation health officials visited her neighbourhood in Seven Wells and collected swabs from 17 people for tests.
TN under-reporting H1N1 deaths
Pushpa Narayan, TNN, Sep 2, 2010, 04.33am IST
CHENNAI: H1N1 continues to kill people in your city, but someone doesn't want you to know it. Test results and death certificates in TOI's possession show that at least three women died of H1N1 in the city in the last three weeks, but their names are yet to be listed in the H1N1 death records.
This means that Tamil Nadu, which has been taking credit for keeping the viral infection under control, has been under-reporting H1N1 cases. The state has shown just seven H1N1 deaths as against 767 in Maharashtra, 346 in Gujarat, 225 in Karnataka, 118 each in Delhi and Kerala, and 85 in Andhra Pradesh since May 2009. While director of public health Dr RT Porkai Pandian maintains that only six people in the state have so far died because of the infection ? and all from outside Chennai ? since January 2010, TOI has accessed medical results of three women in the city who tested positive for H1N1 and died soon after.
Annapoorna (32) died on August 29 in the Government General Hospital after being shifted from CSI Rainy Hospital, Royapuram. Four days ago, Zainabush Sakira, a resident of Nungambakkam, died in Apollo Hospitals, Greames Road. K Hemalatha, hailing from Cuddalore, died in Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Nandanam, on August 11. Samples of all the three women had tested positive for H1N1 at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine. However, when asked about these three cases, Dr Pandian said: "The state did not have them on record."
After Annapoorna's death, Chennai Corporation health officials visited her neighbourhood in Seven Wells and collected swabs from 17 people for tests.
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