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Time of India
12-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
TN has 97% Covid immunity for senior citizens, reveals serosurvey
Chennai: At least 97 per cent of the elderly in Tamil Nadu have immunity against Covid-19, a serosurvey conducted in April 2025 by the directorate of public health revealed. The fifth edition of the survey targeted elderly persons in districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Trichy, Dharmapuri, and Kanyakumari. Preliminary analysis of 1,214 samples from this group showed protective immunity of 97%, Health Minister Ma Subramaniam said here on Wednesday. The state public health laboratory tested more than 25,000 samples per phase, selected through population proportionate sampling across the state, utilising techniques for uniform collection. "We saw a boost in immunity since 2020. The first phase in Oct 2020 showed 32% immunity, which rose to 29% in April 2021 and 70% in Aug 2021. The same year in Dec, immunity was 87%," he said. Officials at the directorate attributed the increase in immunity to a combination of factors, including effective vaccination implemented during the pandemic and natural infection, leading to high immunity. High seroprevalence means that a large percentage of people in the sample population have antibodies in their blood, Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam said. This indicates they were exposed to the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, and carry proteins, antibodies produced by the immune system in response to an infection or vaccination. They are a sign that the body encountered the pathogen and mounted an immune response, often leading to some level of protection against future infections, he said. "We vaccinated more than 95% of the population with at least one dose of the vaccine. Besides this, natural infections due to the circulation of weakened mutations such as Omicron sub-lineages of the virus enhanced antibody development further. This could have contributed to hybrid immunity," he added. Officials said high seroprevalence correlates with a positive public health outcome. "We know the virus has been largely unable to cause severe illness. We don't see Covid-19 causing deaths in people who are infected," he added.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
TN has 97% Covid immunity for senior citizens, reveals serosurvey
Chennai: At least 97% of the elderly in Tamil Nadu have immunity against Covid-19, a serosurvey conducted in April 2025 by the directorate of public health revealed. The fifth edition of the survey targeted elderly persons in districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Trichy, Dharmapuri, and Kanyakumari. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Preliminary analysis of 1,214 samples from this group showed protective immunity of 97%, Health Minister Ma Subramaniam said here on Wednesday. The state public health laboratory tested more than 25,000 samples per phase, selected through population proportionate sampling across the state, utilising techniques for uniform collection. "We saw a boost in immunity since 2020. The first phase in Oct 2020 showed 32% immunity, which rose to 29% in April 2021 and 70% in Aug 2021. The same year in Dec, immunity was 87%," he said. Officials at the directorate attributed the increase in immunity to a combination of factors, including effective vaccination implemented during the pandemic and natural infection, leading to high immunity. High seroprevalence means that a large percentage of people in the sample population have antibodies in their blood, Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam said. This indicates they were exposed to the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, and carry proteins, antibodies produced by the immune system in response to an infection or vaccination. They are a sign that the body encountered the pathogen and mounted an immune response, often leading to some level of protection against future infections, he said."We vaccinated more than 95% of the population with at least one dose of the vaccine. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Besides this, natural infections due to the circulation of weakened mutations such as Omicron sub-lineages of the virus enhanced antibody development further. This could have contributed to hybrid immunity," he added. Officials said high seroprevalence correlates with a positive public health outcome. "We know the virus has been largely unable to cause severe illness. We don't see Covid-19 causing deaths in people who are infected," he added.
Economic Times
29-05-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Patients visit Tamil Nadu dental clinic for checkup, get infected with deadly disease: 8 of 10 die
A shocking new study published in The Lancet has revealed that eight people died after getting infected with a rare and deadly brain infection called neuromelioidosis. The source of the infection? A dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town in Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district. The outbreak happened in 2023 but was not reported by any government agency. The infection was linked to unclean dental practices, according to a joint investigation by doctors from CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE, and Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Public Health. The study found that a surgical tool called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was later loosely closed. The same bottle was reused for other patients. At least 10 people got infected, and eight of them died, making the fatality rate 80%.Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar from CMC Vellore, the lead author of the study, said the bacteria entered through nerve pathways when the infected saline was used to clean patients' mouths. This allowed the bacteria to reach the brain testing showed that the bacteria had a gene that attacks the brain more aggressively. Neuromelioidosis is a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by a bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei. This bacteria is usually found in contaminated soil and water in tropical include: Fever Headache Slurred speech Blurred vision In some cases, facial paralysis Between July 2022 and April 2023, researchers found 21 cases in total. Of these, 10 patients had visited the dental clinic, and 9 people died overall. Most cases were from Tirupattur district. Those who visited the clinic died faster, from symptoms to death in just 16 days, and from hospital admission to death in 9 days. In contrast, the only person who died without visiting the clinic took 56 days after symptoms started and 38 days after 9 May 2023, CMC reported the rise in cases. Four days later, Tamil Nadu health officials held a meeting with hospitals and clinics in the region. A team of doctors began investigating the before they could collect samples, the dental clinic was disinfected and shut down after public complaints. Still, scientists managed to find the bacteria in a sample from the saline bottle. Other unopened saline bottles were who did not visit the dental clinic mostly showed swelling in the salivary gland, cheeks, or lymph nodes. But those who did visit had more serious symptoms like face swelling and soft tissue infections, likely due to swallowing the contaminated saline. Dr T S Selvavinayagam, Tamil Nadu's director of public health, said the outbreak has now been contained. 'This is a reminder for all healthcare workers to follow proper infection control practices,' he added. Inputs from TOI
News18
29-05-2025
- Health
- News18
1 Sline Bottle Claims 8 Lives In Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur District: Study
Last Updated: The symptoms of Neuromelioidosis include fever and headache followed by slurred speech, visual distortion and in some cases facial palsy. In a tragic incident, eight people died of neuromelioidosis — a bacterial infection of the brain — that they got from a dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town of Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district in 2023, a study published in The Lancet has revealed. According to an investigation by a team of doctors from multiple organisations, including CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE and Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health, the outbreak, which hasn't been reported by any government agency, has been linked to unsterile dental practices. The first author of the study, Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar of the neurological sciences department at CMC, said that an unsterile surgical instrument called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was then loosely resealed. The reuse of its contents by the clinic led to at least 10 people contracting the infection and eight of them dying, pegging the fatality rate at 80%. 'The rapid and high fatality may be because the bacteria in the saline travelled directly along nerve pathways when used to clean the patients' mouth during procedures, rather than through the bloodstream, a common route for such infections," the researcher concluded. Whole genome sequencing showed that the bacteria have a gene that aggressively attacks the brain. Neuromelioidosis is a severe central nervous system infection, affecting the brain and spinal cord, caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, commonly found in contaminated soil and water in tropical and subtropical areas. The symptoms of Neuromelioidosis include fever and headache followed by slurred speech, visual distortion and in some cases facial palsy. Researchers found 21 neuromelioidosis cases between July 2022 and April 2023, including 10 linked to a dental clinic, resulting in 9 deaths. The fatality rate was 9% among the 11 patients not linked to the clinic. State public health officials praised the study for aiding case identification and informing containment measures. 'We've halted the spread with corrective actions, and this serves as a reminder for healthcare providers to prioritise infection control," said Dr. TS Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health. On May 9, 2023, CMC reported a surge in neuromelioidosis cases linked to a dental clinic. Four days later, health officials convened a meeting with local healthcare facilities. Co-author Prabu Rajkumar from the ICMR-NIE said that a team of doctors investigated the cluster to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and identify the source of infection. 'But before doctors could visit the dental clinic to pick samples, the clinic was disinfected, the water supply was cut off, and the clinic was closed following public outcry," the authors wrote. However, scientists detected B. pseudomallei in a saline bottle sample, while unopened bottles tested negative. Further verification involved testing additional samples and conducting whole-genome sequencing. Analysis showed head and neck involvement, such as inflammation of a salivary gland (parotid gland), inner lining of cheeks (buccal mucosa), along with enlargement or swelling of one or more lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), was common in cases not linked to the dental clinic. But patients exposed to the dental clinic's contaminated saline progressed rapidly, developing facial cellulitis and soft tissue abscesses, likely due to ingestion of the contaminated solution. First Published:
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Patients visit Tamil Nadu dental clinic for checkup, get infected with deadly disease: 8 of 10 die
How did it happen? Live Events What is neuromelioidosis? Fever Headache Slurred speech Blurred vision In some cases, facial paralysis What did officials do? What else did they find? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A shocking new study published in The Lancet has revealed that eight people died after getting infected with a rare and deadly brain infection called neuromelioidosis . The source of the infection? A dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town in Tamil Nadu 's Tirupattur district The outbreak happened in 2023 but was not reported by any government agency. The infection was linked to unclean dental practices, according to a joint investigation by doctors from CMC Vellore , ICMR-NIE, and Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Public study found that a surgical tool called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was later loosely closed. The same bottle was reused for other patients. At least 10 people got infected, and eight of them died, making the fatality rate 80%.Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar from CMC Vellore, the lead author of the study, said the bacteria entered through nerve pathways when the infected saline was used to clean patients' mouths. This allowed the bacteria to reach the brain testing showed that the bacteria had a gene that attacks the brain more is a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by a bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei . This bacteria is usually found in contaminated soil and water in tropical include:Between July 2022 and April 2023, researchers found 21 cases in total. Of these, 10 patients had visited the dental clinic, and 9 people died overall. Most cases were from Tirupattur who visited the clinic died faster, from symptoms to death in just 16 days, and from hospital admission to death in 9 days. In contrast, the only person who died without visiting the clinic took 56 days after symptoms started and 38 days after 9 May 2023, CMC reported the rise in cases. Four days later, Tamil Nadu health officials held a meeting with hospitals and clinics in the region. A team of doctors began investigating the before they could collect samples, the dental clinic was disinfected and shut down after public complaints. Still, scientists managed to find the bacteria in a sample from the saline bottle. Other unopened saline bottles were who did not visit the dental clinic mostly showed swelling in the salivary gland, cheeks, or lymph nodes. But those who did visit had more serious symptoms like face swelling and soft tissue infections, likely due to swallowing the contaminated T S Selvavinayagam, Tamil Nadu's director of public health, said the outbreak has now been contained. 'This is a reminder for all healthcare workers to follow proper infection control practices ,' he from TOI
