Airport doctor checks into quarantine

Kolkata: A doctor at the forefront of the fight against swine flu has checked himself into the quarantine ward at Infectious Diseases Hospital with symptoms of having contracted the H1N1 virus.
Deputy airport health officer Prasanta Karmakar, who has been screening international air passengers for signs of swine flu since the scare began in end-April, got himself admitted on Saturday morning after running a temperature since Friday night. He had been suffering from a cold for the last couple of days and had been on paracetamol and anti-allergic drugs. A throat swab has been sent for tests; the result will be known on Sunday.
"I have two kids at home and didn't want to take a risk. Since the symptoms are like swine flu, I thought it best to get admitted," Karmakar told TOI from the isolation ward. The doctor, who has seen a number of patients panic when isolated, wants to lead by example. "I hope my voluntary action will make others aware that isolation is neither dangerous nor a social stigma," he said.
Karmakar is one of the five doctors deputed to screen fliers at Kolkata airport, the most vital point through which the virus can slip through. By the very nature of their job, doctors are extremely vulnerable. Apart from Karmakar, two others doctors Ranjit Mondal and Manas Saha are admitted at ID Hospital.
09/08/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Aug 2009