Swine flu claims second victim in TN

Tamil Nadu on Friday reported its secondswine flu fatality with a 47-year-old man falling victim to the virus at a government hospital here.

The man was admitted with symptoms of swine flu on August 13 and advised to take Tamiflu tablets but he left withoutinforming after giving his throat samples for test, General Hospital Dean Mohana Sundaram said.

He had tested positive when the swab test results came, after which the hospital authorities immediately alerted thepublic health department about the patient's details, Sundaram said.

Concerned officials swung into action and found that the patient, whose name was not revealed, had got himself admitted to a private hospital in Adayar. The patient did not inform the doctors that he was administered Tamilflu, he said.

Officials alerted the private hospital authorities that he had tested positive for the H1N1 virus. His condition had deteriorated by then and he was immediately shifted to General Hospital, where he succumbed to the flu late on Thursday night, Sundaram said.

He said the patient had also contracted pneumonia. Tamil Nadu had reported its first swine flu fatality on August 10, when a four-and-a-half year old boy died of the disease.