Jawan dies of ‘flu’ in Manipur

Flu fear Imphal, Aug. 29: Experts of the Manipur medical directorate today sent throat and nasal swabs of a rifleman of the Assam Rifles, who died yesterday, to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi for confirmation whether the death was caused by H1N1 virus. Sushil Kumar Negi, who hailed from Himachal Pradesh, died at a military hospital at Leimakhong army cantonment in Sadar Hills of Senapati district yesterday after undergoing treatment at the hospital for a few days. The body was brought to the RIMS mortuary for post-mortem today. The rifleman, belonging to 30 Assam Rifles, was posted at Singhat in Churachandpur district along the Myanmar border. He was brought to the military hospital a few days back. After the doctors at RIMS recorded the medical history of the jawan, who suffered from fever, vomiting and cold, they informed the swine flu control room opened at the state medical directorate. Suspecting that it could be a case of H1N1, the swine flu control room provided the medical staff with protective gear to perform the autopsy. A source in the medical department confirmed that samples of the deceased jawan was collected and sent to Delhi today. The state swine flu nodal officer, Th. Bhubonchandra Singh, who is also the additional director, however, said that there was no reason for panic as nothing was known at this moment about the cause of the death. So far only one case of swine flu has been detected in Manipur while there have been six cases in Meghalaya, two in Mizoram and nine in Assam. In an unrelated development, the death of over 100 pigs at Nayabazar, Jengrai, Jengrai Chapori, Phuloni, Serapai and Ratanpur Miri villages in Majuli within a fortnight has triggered fears of outbreak of swine flu among animals in the river island. Medical experts from Jorhat have been dispatched to take stock of the situation. Blood donation Manipur chief secretary D.S. Pooniah today led the way in donating blood at a daylong camp at the state secretariat. Bureaucrats and other officials of the state secretariat also donated blood. This is the first time that such a camp has been organised in any government department in the state. The programme was organised by the Manipur AIDS Control Society. The state government has plans to hold such voluntary blood donation camps for government officials at the deputy commissioners' offices in the nine districts.