Chennai: Despite the assurance of controlled incidence of swine flu by state health department, Tamil Nadu has the second highest number of H1N1 cases numbering 2,263 in the country, very closely after Maharashtra with 2,548 cases as Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme of National Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The total number of cases of swine flu in Tamil Nadu has increased by around 877 in less than a month. The numbers of cases recorded till November 11 this year were 1,386, however, with more than 900 cases till December 2, the total numbers to 2,263 cases as per the recent data provided by the state health department by National Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
Though public health department earlier stated that the incidence of swine flu is reducing gradually and the incidence increased only in August and October. On the contrary, 877 new cases were registered in the month of November.
Director of Public Health Dr K. Kolandaisamy said that the surveillance and control measures for fever, vector-borne diseases including dengue, malaria and swine flu are in place in the state. “The cyclone affected areas in the state were more prone to witness an outbreak of vector-borne diseases after the cyclone. The state health department worked extensively towards the prevention of any such outbreak and monitored the availability of vaccination and medication,” he said.
Directorate of Public Health had told Deccan Chronicle on November 24 that 27 deaths have been reported in the state, National Center for Disease Control maintains it to only 15 deaths even after updating the figures on December 2, 2018. The contradiction of the number of deaths due to swine flu questions the co-ordination between the state and Central Surveillance Unit of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and the transparency of the health department.
Theni, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Trichy and Tirupur have recorded largest number of cases and deaths in Tamil Nadu due to swine flu. The numbers of influenza cases are gradually reducing in city hospitals including those in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Institute of Child Health, Kilpauk Medical College and Stanley Medical College.
