10 school kids in Lovedale near Ooty test H1N1 positive

UDHAGAMANDALAM: At least 10 students from the Lawrence School, a residential institution in Lovedale near Ooty, tested positive for H1N1 earlier this week. They are undergoing treatment in the 15-bed hospital on the school campus.
At least 44 more students with flu-like symptoms are being monitored by a team of doctors, including those from the state health department, Ooty municipal health officer Murali Krishna said."We isolated 10 students who tested positive for H1N1 to prevent spread of infection to other students. They are stable and are recovering well. The other students have been asked to drink plenty of water and attend school," he said. Doctors say the students belong to category B as they reported with high fever, cold, sore throat, fatigue and vomiting.
On Wednesday, Nilgiris collector J Innocent Divya and district deputy director of health Dr Porkodi visited the school. "The situation on the campus is under control. More students are suffering from seasonal flu. I have instructed health officials to depute a government doctor to monitor the children along with the resident doctor of the school. It is being done," Divya told TOI. She recently held a sensitization meeting for government and private doctors in the Nilgiris.
Dr Porkodi said the incidence of H1N1 infection in the district was sporadic. In the past two months, the district reported about 15 positive cases and two deaths. In both cases, the patients had been referred to the state-run Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital for intensive care. "Four people, all natives of Nilgiris, are now undergoing treatment at the CMCH," she added.
On Thursday, 125 patients came to the Ooty GH with symptoms of fever and 41 were admitted, GH joint director Dr H Ravikumar said. Doctors say lower temperatures in the region have made it easier for various microorganisms to survive. "Besides H1N1, we are seeing lots of other viral infections. Some of them make patients, particularly the elder and those with chronic ailments, extremely sick," a senior doctor said. Patients have been advised to seek medical help to rule out infections like H1N1 as self-medication can cause serious complications and even death, he said. "Most deaths in the state have happened either because of delayed treatment or because patients suffered from co-morbid conditions such as heart diseases or respiratory disorders," he added.