Rio Olympics: Marathon runner OP Jaisha also tests positive for swine flu

Olympian OP 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 be suffering 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 SAI doctors," Sports Authority of India regional director Shyam Sunder told PTI.

Jaisha had competed in the women's marathon in Rio Olympics.

It was an "arduous task" for SAI authorities to convince her to get her blood samples tested at the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD).

She, however, agreed to give her blood samples for testing yesterday after the state health officials convinced her, Sunder said.

"It was an arduous task to convince Jaisha to get her blood samples tested at the virology institute. She ignored our counselling and moved out of the SAI premises on August 21 after applying for leave," he said.

Instead of heading straight to her native state Kerala, Jaisha stayed in Bengaluru and until Wednesday, she was not physically available to the health and SAI officials, Sunder said.

"Finally, after she was located yesterday, the state health officials visited her and convinced her to get her blood samples tested," he said.

The results of the samples, sent to RGICD on Wednesday, was submitted on Thursday which tested positive for H1N1, Sunder said.

Sudha Singh was the first athlete to have been tested H1N1 positive and has been hospitalised since August 20.

Singh, when she arrived from Rio, was undergoing treatment and medication for suspected Zika virus. She had participated in the steeplechase competition at Rio.

-PTI