A deadly swine flu virus first detected in Mexico can no longer be contained, says the WHO.
The world is now a step closer to a possible outbreak of the swine flu. On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation raised the alert level to Phase 4, which means that there is a clear possibility now of human-to-human transmission of the deadly virus.
India too is gearing up. Though swine flu virus has never been reported from India, there is still cause for concern.
The inter-ministerial task force may have been put in place, but with lakhs of passengers coming into the country everyday screening each and everyone of them is going to be quite a challenge. For now, they want the focus to remain on prevention.
According to the health ministry:
- A team of doctors and trained medical staff will be on standby at all the 9 airports
- Temporary quarantine areas are being set up inside the terminals where any suspect case can be isolated
- Along with the 24x7 call centres, they will take out ads in papers asking people to report any symptoms
But on the ground, nothing has really taken off.
At Kolkata and Mumbai airports, when NDTV checked, there were no counters or any questions asked on medical history or any specific steps taken to screen Swine Flu patients.
"There were no doctors, no questions asked," said Supriti, a passenger travelling from London.
If we are to prevent this virus from affecting India the way it is with the rest of the world, then people have to come forward and be a part of the anti-swine flu campaign.
And here's a look at the countries where the flu has spread:
- Mexico
- United States
- Canada
- The UK
- Spain
- Israel
- New Zealand
Suspected cases have also been reported in Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, Australia, and South Korea, and seven EU states. The flu is obviously worrying more and more Governments and health officials around the world.
