First H1NI death reported in Kerala this season

Kerala has reported the season's first death due to H1N1 virus ahead of the onset of southwest monsoon as various types of viral fever spread in the state, including a large number of dengue cases.

A 27-year-old woman died of H1N1 at Maranadu in Kollam district on Friday, which was the first such case of the season, sources said.

According to health department sources, over 60 dengue cases have been reported in the last two days alone, as the public health sector is struggling to cope with the situation with hundreds of fever cases being reported from various districts. The health department has alerted hospitals and allied institutions to set up preventive and curative measures to ensure that the situation does not go out of control.

According to official statistics, over 1,500 dengue cases had been reported in the state since January this year, which had caused nine deaths. At least 10 patients, who had been confirmed H1N1 positive, are under treatment in different parts of the state.

"We have taken a serious note of the situation and have alerted district medical officers to ensure that hospitals are stocked with medicines required and adequate doctors and paramedical staff deployed on duty," a senior health department official said.

A state-level disease monitoring cell has also been set up to collect details from the districts on daily basis and give instructions to district and taluk health authorities, sources said.