New Delhi: The H1N1 virus is spreading in India and has now reached the Capital. The latest patient is the the mother of a 35-year-old passenger on an AI flight who had earlier tested positive.
The passenger arrived in Delhi on the New-York Delhi Air India flight on Tuesday.
Hyderabad is facing the brunt with seven cases. One person, a 28-year-old software engineer is believed ot have passed on the virus to three people who were flying with him on British Airways Flight 277 that flew in from Philadelphia.
Concerns are now being raised about the airport screening.
Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that the screening process has been tightened at all airports.
The airport screening involves filling out a form declaring flu like symptoms and is being carried out across 21 international airports in the country. But with some symptoms of flu not manifesting immediately, this screening is not fool proof.
Several people have come forward on their own, to get tested, after displaying the symptoms later.
India is not planning to seal its borders any time yet, nor is it planning to install thermal scaners that are used in international airports because these only detect high temperature, which is just one of the many symptoms of the flu.
However, the Government says that it is ready to handle any crisis.
Health Secretary Naresh Dayal has said, "We are equipped to deal with any kind of situation regarding swine flu. We have an ample amount of tamiflu tablets and we are constantly in touch with the World Health Organisation."
Do watch out for symptoms like cold, cough, fever, running nose and body ache and if you display any of these, report to your nearest government hospital.
(With inputs from Seemi Pasha and Devika Malik)
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