Assam searches for plane passengers for swine flu screening
August 17th, 2009 - 11:22 am ICT by IANSGuwahati, Aug 17 (IANS) Health authorities in Assam are on the lookout for over 40 passengers of an Indigo flight from Mumbai to Guwahati for screening after a 21-year-old Pune student who travelled in the same aircraft last week tested positive for swine flu, officials said Monday.
A health department spokesperson said the Pune college student was seated in the ninth row of the Aug 13 Indigo Flight 6E321 and was admitted to a hospital here with swine flu-like symptoms immediately on arrival and later tested positive.
“As per mandatory guidelines, we have to screen the health status of the passengers seated at least three rows ahead and behind the swine flu affected patient. We have got the passenger list from Indigo airlines and trying to contact 41 passengers in all,” Parthajyoti Gogoi, regional director, Health and Family Welfare (northeast) of the central health ministry, told IANS.
Health authorities managed to get in touch with at least 10 passengers of the Indigo flight.
“Contact details of most of the passengers were not available and hence we appeal to all those seated between the sixth and 12th row of the said flight to get themselves screened at the nearest hospital as a precautionary measure,” Gogoi said.
Meanwhile, the health condition of the lone swine flu positive patient in Assam was said to be improving.
“So far we have sent samples of at least 40 people of which 22 reports have already come in with just one testing positive,” said Jagadish Mahanta, director of the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) at Lahowal in eastern Assam.
The RMRC is the only facility in the northeast for testing samples for the H1N1 virus.
In all there are seven swine flu positive cases confirmed in the northeast - four in Meghalaya, and one each in Mizoram, Asssam, and Manipur.
“We are taking no chances and carrying out massive screening of people at all the airports in the state, besides the Guwahati railway station,” Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told IANS.
“We appeal people to come forward and report any swine flu-like symptoms to medical experts,” he added.
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