Hyderabad: One more case of swine flu was confirmed in Delhi on Monday taking the overall number of those affected with the H1N1 virus to 11. The worrying thing about this is the fact that the infected woman didn't catch it abroad, but right here from her foreign returned son.
Over the weekend the first such indigenous patient was confirmed in Hyderabad.
Rama and her daughter returned from the US via London on the British Airways flight no 277 on May 31. Four passengers on that flight tested positive for the H1N1 virus. So, Rama is worried.
"The minute we are in India, at the airport itself, we are in between thousands. I started thinking who all did we meet, who did we stay with, friends who came to meet us, the children of our friends who stayed with us. It was not just about the two of us but everyone around us," she said.
Rama is thankful that health officials came and tracked down everybody they have been in contact with, giving them a preventive dose of Tamiflu medicine. That adds up to over 40 people in the household alone. And they have to do it for all the 264 on board that single flight.
As of now, 15 medical teams in Hyderabad are trying to physically contact whoever is suspected to have been exposed to the H1N1 virus. The long-term contingency plan also seeks helicopters to airlift patients from remote areas if necessary.
"We don't know if they have cough or cold. Passengers have to come forward. And unfortunately there is no thermal sensor at international airport. Some say thermal sensor doesn't work, so they have to manually check temperatures. So there will be delays. But we have to bear with it because we are doing it for their safety," said Dr K Subhakar, in-charge, H1N1 Influenza Centre, Andhra Pradesh.
With those infected with the H1N1 taking an upward turn, the challenge for the health authorities is mind-boggling.