H1N1 infects four cops at Palakkad police camp

PALAKKAD: Four trainee police officers of the Kerala Armed Police (Two Batallion) camp in Muttikulangara have tested positive to the H1N1 virus.The samples of six police trainees at the KAP battalion, who were suffering from fever, were sent to the virology institute in Manipal.The results arrived on Saturday showed that four of them had tested positive to the H1N1 virus.District Medical Officer Venugopal told ‘Express’ that of the 200 trainees at the KAP camp in Muttikulangara, 160 of them had developed fever during last week.Since there is only one doctor at the camp, additional doctors and staff from the district hospital have been posted there.The trainees were lodged at the KAP second battalion camp and were treated.The samples were collected and taken to the Thrissur Medical College from where it was taken in a virus transport medium to Manipal and tested.He said that there were vehicles and ambulances which, if need be, would be utilised to take the patients from the camp to the hospital.The DMO said that altogether 20 samples were collected from the sick trainees of which only six were sent for the H1N1 test.The remaining samples were sent for seeing if there were viruses of chikungunya, dengue or typhoid.He added that now the fever of the trainees had come down and the situation was under control.One of the trainees had chickenpox and he was sent home so that the spread of it could be checked.Venugopal said that there was enough stock of medicines for the H1N1 fever at the district hospital and there was no need to panic.He said that currently there were medicines for treating 2,500 H1N1 patients.