Suspect H5N1 Patients in Malda Transferred to Calcutta
Recombinomics Commentary 10:59
January 30, 2008
“We have been getting patients with high fever and chest pains and we are not being able to detect the source of infection. We have sent quite a few patients to B.R. Singh Hospital in Sealdah.”
However, no one has been confirmed with pneumonia, the known symptom of bird flu.
19 persons had exposure history. They are being followed up.
The above comments describe suspect H5N1 patients in Malda transferred to BR Singh hospital Calcutta for further analysis (see satellite map here and here). The report from Malda indicates “quite a few” were transferred. The Ministry of Health and Welfare report for January 29 states that 19 persons in Malda had exposure history and follow-up is ongoing.
In addition to the transfer of patients to Calcutta, specialist from Calcutta and Delhi have been dispatched to Malda. Malda was one of the districts which reported confirmed H5N1 early. The outbreak in Malda led to culling in Bihar, even though Bihar denies H5N1 infections. A least one resident in Malda committed suicide due to the impact of the outbreak there.
Although the above report states that pneumonia has not been confirmed, the report does not indicate that pneumonia is not suspected.
The transfer of patients to Calcutta and the dispatching of medical specialists to the region is a serious escalation.
More detail on these patients would be useful.
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