Another Rio Olympian tests positive for H1N1, hospitalised

Bengaluru, Aug 25 (PTI) Olympian O P Jaisha, who returned from Rio with fever and body ache last week, has been hospitalised after she was tested positive for H1N1, two days after another athlete Sudha Singh was found to besuffering from the same disease. “Jaisha, who arrived in Bengaluru with fever and bodyache,has been hospitalised at the Fortis hospital at Bannerghatta,as per the information I had received so far from SAIdoctors,” Sports Authority of India Regional director ShyamSunder told PTI here. Jaisha had competed in the women’s marathon in RioOlympics. It was an “arduous task” for SAI authorities to convinceher to get her blood samples tested at the state-run RajivGandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD). She, however, agreed to give her blood samples for testingyesterday after the state health officials convinced her,Sunder said. “It was an arduous task to convince Jaisha to get herblood samples tested at the virology institute. She ignoredour counselling and moved out of the SAI premises on August 21after applying for leave,” he said. Instead of heading straight to her native state Kerala,Jaisha stayed in Bengaluru and until yesterday, she was notphysically available to the health and SAI officials, Sundersaid. “Finally, after she was located yesterday, the statehealth officials visited her and convinced her to get herblood samples tested,” he said. The results of the samples, sent to RGICD yesterday, wassubmitted today which tested positive for H1N1, Sunder said. Sudha Singh was the first athlete to have been tested H1N1positive and has been hospitalised since August 20. Sudha, when she arrived from Rio, was undergoing treatmentand medication for suspected Zika virus. She had participatedin the steeplechase competition at Rio. In May, Sudha broke the national record in women’s 3000msteeplechase event to finish eighth in the second leg of theprestigious Diamond League Meet in Shanghai. She had qualified for Rio Games during the Federation CupNational Athletics Championships in New Delhi in April, whereshe clocked nine minutes 26.55 seconds. Before the commencement of the Rio Olympics, the IndianOlympic Association (IOA) had issued a detailed advisory toall the athletes and support staff in view of the Zika virusscare in Brazil. Zika is a mosquito-borne virus which can cause cripplingbirth defects and also affects neurological system. PTI BDNSMJ