India chalks out strategy to prevent Swine Flu outbreak
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, April 27, IRNA -- India on Monday chalked out a strategy to prevent any outbreak of Swine Flu disease in India.
The Union Health Ministry held a high-level meeting and took stock of the situation arising out of the spread of dissease in Mexico and the US.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Health Ministry and eaded by the Director General Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) Dr V N Katoch.
The disease has been confirmed in Mexico and the United States and there are suspected cases in New Zealand, United Kingdom and France.
Meanwhile, Asian governments are on high alert after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a possible pandemic. Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia announced plans to screen travellers for symptoms of swine flu.
China has banned imports of pork products from Mexico and several US states as part of attempts to prevent a deadly flu virus entering the country.
Asia has battled hard to stem another highly-contagious flu virus, H5N1, which has claimed hundreds of lives.
At least 100 people are now suspected to have died of the disease in Mexico, with the number of suspected infections rising to 1,614.
Meanwhile, governments around the world have been hurrying to contain the spread of a new swine flu virus after outbreaks were reported in Mexico, the US and Canada.
The UN has warned that the disease has the potential to become a pandemic, but said the world is better prepared than ever to deal with the threat. Stocks of anti-viral medicines are being readied and travellers are being screened at some airports for symptoms.
Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said suspected swine flu cases in his country has risen to 1,614 including 103 deaths. The United States, where 20 people are confirmed to have caught the virus, has declared a public health emergency.
There are also confirmed cases in Canada, and investigations are being carried out on suspected cases in Spain, Israel and New Zealand.
The World Health Organization (WHO), the UN's health agency, has said the swine flu virus could be capable of mutating into a more dangerous strain.
But officials say they need more information on the virus before deciding whether to raise the global pandemic alert phase.
Swine influenza is known to be caused by influenza A subtypes H1N1,[4] H1N2,[4] H3N1,[5] H3N2,[4] and H2N3. It infects people every year and is found typically in those who have been in contact with pigs, although there have been cases of person-to-person transmission.
Its symptoms include fever, disorientation, stiffness of the joints, vomiting and loss of consciousness leading to death.
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