TN districts dependent on Jipmer for H1N1 tests, treatment

PUDUCHERRY: The Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer), which is the only authorized institute to test H1N1 cases in the Union territory and a host of nearby Tamil Nadu districts, has begun to feel the heat with the increasing number of samples for H1N1 tests in recent times.
Puducherry and Tamil Nadu governments insist on testing H1N1 cases in Jipmer as the institute's results were more authentic.This followed complaints that tests done in private clinics were not accurate as the results were positive in majority of the cases. The institute has done 400 H1N1 tests this year and 54 patients (36 from Puducherry, 17 from Tamil Nadu and one from other state) tested positive for H1N1. There were four deaths - three in February and one in March - this year so far.
Jipmer medical superintendent J Balachander said the institute has been procuring the reagents required for H1N1 tests, vaccines and tablets besides safety kits and other necessary equipment as and when required. He said there was great demand for vaccines as anxious patients prefer it. “We have administered vaccines for 441 patients this year alone. Vaccines are generally advocated for healthcare professionals working in close contact with the H1N1 patients. Vaccines are also recommended for diabetics, pregnant women and elderly people. All patients insist on vaccines, however, and we have evolved guidelines for treating patients following the Union government's directions,” he said.
The institute has now started categorizing patients into A, B and C types. Patients (A) with mild symptoms were advised complete rest while those (B) with high fever were administered Tamiflu tablets and only those (C) with high fever were admitted for treatment. Currently, only one H1N1 patient has undergone treatment in Jipmer. In March alone, the institute performed 79 tests of which 18 cases (12 from Puducherry and six from Tamil Nadu) tested positive. Only one death has been reported in March so far this year. The real time PCR test is the most accurate test for H1N1. “Rapid tests are not reliable. Real time PCR tests give accurate results for H1N1 in six to eight hours. We are placing orders for reagents as and when required to ensure that tests are done when needed,” he said.
“The situation is not as alarming as projected. People need not panic. It (H1N1) is not a big epidemic like dengue. We perform 10 to 15 tests daily on an average for dengue and H1N1 tests are far less,” he said. Balachander was of the opinion that once the temperature crosses 30 degree centigrade the incidence of H1N1 will come down drastically. So far this year, there have been 13 H1N1-related deaths in Tamil Nadu and three, including a nine-month old baby, in the Union territory of Puducherry.