Swine Flu may have landed in city

Kolkata: A passenger with symptoms of Swine Flu was detained at the NSC Bose airport this morning. Airport doctors said Mr Shyamal Sarkar (35), who flew in from Dubai on an Emirates’ flight, exhibited respiratory distress, symptoms of a cold, a running nose and mild fever. He was immediately segregated. After initial consultations, doctors of the Airport Health Service (AHS) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) ensured the passenger was covered with a face mask, cap, gloves and disposable apron and sent him to the infectious diseases hospital in Beliaghata. Mr Sarkar, a resident of Gosainagar in Ranaghat, Nadia, works in Dubai as a welder.
Dr Sujit Buxy, chief medical officer of AAI, said all precautions had been taken while examining the suspected carrier of the Swine Flu virus.
Dr AC Dey, chief airport health officer, said that not only was Mr Sarkar segregated but the passenger manifest of the flight was thoroughly examined. Personal details and recent medical/travel histories of his co-passengers were collated and passengers' contact numbers have been communicated to the state health department.
Health department officials will be contacting passengers as a follow-up action to ascertain if any of them show symptoms similar to Mr Sarkar's. Dr Dey added that there were no instructions from the World Health Organisation to fumigate the aircraft in which passengers with Swine Flu symptoms had been detected. Mr Sarkar, meanwhile, is being kept under observation. He told doctors at the airport that he has many Philippines nationals as co-workers in Dubai but Dr Dey said the Philippines was not listed among the countries affected by Swine Flu.
20/05/09 The Statesman

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Categories: Airports May 2009, Foreign May 2009