Goa readies itself to screen tourists for H1N1
POSTED August 24, 2009 - 17:42 | POSTED BY Priya Markanda
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on August 24, 2009 - 22:59
The news comes after the state registered its first suspected death due to A(H1N1) virus.
A 67-year-old man had died at a private hospital due to the dreaded influenza in Goa Saturday. He had arrived from the southern city of Bangalore Friday and was suffering from high fever.
Vishwajeet Rane, state health minister, said that, with its current growth, swine flu has the likelihood of growing even more with the approaching winters, making the situation worse. To curb the menace, necessary measures and initiatives are needed for public's protection.
"The (central government) health ministry has assured to give thermal scanners, which will be installed at the airport," he said Sunday evening.
"We don't want to create panic but we are also not in the mood to take any chances," he added.
Every year, approximately 2.4 million tourists visit the state, including more than 400,000 foreigners, many of whom arrive by air charter flights.
So far, more than 40,000 passengers at India's 22 international airports have been screened and, if found infected, hospitalized accordingly, the health ministry informed.
Government's initiative to deal with the flu
With India reporting its 71st death, a lot is happening within the government circles regarding the guidelines to be issued to the general physicians.
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA), as a step towards better and timely detection of swine flu cases, has issued guidelines for doctors and physicians in the capital in its fortnightly bulletins, along with spreading the information via SMSs and few education programmes.
Said Dr. Naresh Chawla, president, DMA, "Every day, on an average, there are two lakh patients of flu detected in Delhi. It is impossible for doctors to determine right at the outset if it's swine flu, especially as they see between 50 and 100 patients every day.
“However, our educational programmes as well as the bulletin has not only guidelines as issued by the health ministry but also measures which we have developed that could help doctors detect H1N1 early.”
Latest swine flu cases in the nation
Meanwhile, the number of positive cases in the country has crossed the 2,772 mark, with 131 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.
According to the Health Ministry, in the new cases reported, six in Delhi and two in Kerala are associated with recent travel to the affected countries.
