Pune tightens screening at airport

Pune: A day after the first confirmed case of H1N1 flu was detected in the city, the state health services, regional health office of the central government and health department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have geared up to counter the threat.
While the regional health office of the central government has equipped the Lohegaon Airport with three hi-tech ear digital thermometers for faster and more accurate screening of passengers from all international flights, the state health services is busy allocating more quarantine wards at hospitals across the city.
"We have equipped the surveillance system at the airport with three ear digital thermometers. Digital ear thermometer takes only two seconds to monitor body temperature as soon as it is put in the ear. With this, the screening of passengers will become faster and more accurate now," S B Nadoni, senior regional director of the regional office for health and family welfare, Government of India, told TOI. With this device, the doctors' dependence on the passenger's account of his/her health will be reduced.
"There are three medical officers, two nurses and two helpers stationed at the airport along with an ambulance. "Since there are only two international flights, the flow of passengers is less and hence the screening is not that stressful," said Nadoni.
"We have screened 3,340 passengers from the time we initiated surveillance at the airport from May 3. We have not detected a single suspected case of H1N1 flu so far," he added.
24/06/09 Umesh Isalkar/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2009