Chennai, Aug 10 - Four-year-old Sanjay Balakrishnan died of influenza A (H1N1) infection at a private hospital here Monday, becoming the first swine flu victim in Tamil Nadu and the sixth in the country.
Balakrishnan died at about 8.35 a.m. at the Mehta Children's Hospital.
'The boy was first admitted to another city hospital with severe diarrhoea and renal problem Thursday. He also had fever. We were called for consultation the same day and the boy was transferred to our hospital that evening,' N. Prahlad, paediatrician and paediatric nephrologist at Mehta Children's Hospital, told reporters.
The child was put on a ventilator since his heart beat was very slow and he had respiratory problems. He also suffered kidney and liver failure and had to be put on dialysis.
According to Prahlad, swine flu was suspected Saturday. The boy's nasal and throat swabs were sent to the Kings Research Institute here. The samples tested positive and within 45 minutes the child was administered Tamiflu.
On Sunday, Balakrishnan' blood pressure fell and he suffered multiple organ failure.
'The symptoms shown by the child were not that of swine flu. Failure of organs depends on the immunity of a person.