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Thursday, Jun 11, 2009
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Mother, son admitted to hospital

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

After much persuasion, the swine flu-afflicted duo leaves farmhouse in South-West Delhi

NEW DELHI: After much persuasion, a businessman and his mother, who were afflicted with swine flu, on Wednesday agreed to get themselves admitted to a Delhi government hospital.

A group of senior health officials camped at the patients’ Rajokri farmhouse in South-West Delhi for over three hours and made them relent.

Earlier, when the 35-year-old man, who had arrived from New York on June 2, and his mother (whom he infected) refused to be shifted to a hospital, Union Health Ministry officials directed the State Health Department to shift the duo to a hospital quarantine. The six servants at the Rajokri farmhouse have tested negative for the influenza.

Public welfare

“We told them [mother and son] that their staying away from hospital quarantine was creating a public health emergency for anyone coming into contact with them. We managed to persuade them and brought them to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in our CATS ambulance and they have been admitted to isolation ward No. 5,” said M. Lal, head of the Delhi Government’s Directorate of Health Services.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old non-resident Indian boy, who arrived here on June 7 from the U.S., tested positive for influenza A (H1N1). The number of swine flu cases in the capital has gone up to three.

The boy and his father stayed in a guest house here till Wednesday before the former was admitted to the Lohia Hospital with flu-like symptoms and he tested positive. The boy’s father too has been admitted there and kept under observation. His samples have also been sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases for testing.

“The boy came to us with symptoms, tested positive and is currently under treatment. We also have the two other persons with suspected flu. One is a 47-year-old male from France who has travelled to Japan, Singapore and Hyderabad before coming to Delhi with the symptoms and the other is a 41-year-old woman who has arrived from New York. Samples of the suspected flu cases have been sent for testing. We are well prepared to combat any emergency and have our stock of medicines and medical health protocol to take care of the patients coming to us,” said N. K. Chaturvedi, Medical Superintendent of the Lohia Hospital.

Giving the assurance that the capital was well stocked with vaccine, Delhi Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) J.P. Singh said: “We are following a set protocol and care is being taken to ensure that the general public is kept at zero risk.”

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