Screening systems in place at airports, seaports

Kochi: Even as one person testing positive for swine flu has sent alarm bells across the country, the screening systems at the airports and seaports seems to be working perfectly to trace any suspected case of swine flu, albeit with an ‘understaffed’ medical backup.
The health requirements of the airports and seaports, which are the transit routes for the transmission of swine flu, are addressed by the Port Health Organisation under the Union Ministry of Health.
Due to the dearth of medicos in the organisation, the Health Ministry is assisting the health authorities at the Port in screening the passengers, sources said.
The system being adopted for screening air passengers coming to India through Nedumbassery airport includes questionnaires supplied to the passengers who return the filled in responses to the health authorities.
The responses with a brief information about the health condition of the passenger is then examined at the airport.
Interestingly, the airport is manned by one of the two doctors from the Port Health Department, leaving only one doctor to take care of the affairs of the ship crews and passengers calling on at the port. The practice followed at the airport is repeated for the ship crew and passengers.
18/05/09 ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Airports May 2009