Flu case doubt
an Indian man who flew from Sharjah International Airport
to the Indian city of Coimbatore is unlikely to have swine flu, a doctor from the hospital where he has been quarantined told 7DAYS.
The 41-year-old, who works as a mason in the UAE, was quarantined after arriving at Coimbatore airport on May 21. He had complained of suffering from fever, body pain and a cough for weeks. He was taken to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital and is being observed.Hospital dean Dr Kumaran said that tests are being carried out on the patient. “We are awaiting the results, which are likely to be out in a day or two,” he told 7DAYS.
“He is unlikely to have swine flu because there have been no cases of swine flu in the region.” He said that barring Japan, Asia has been mostly free of the swine flu virus. “He could be suffering due to ordinary fever and not swine flu. However, we are taking all precautionary measures so that no one is affected because of this,” Dr Kumaran added.
The mason had returned to India to visit his family in a village near Coimbatore and had been working on an employment visa in the UAE, the doctor said.
Samples of the patient’s blood, a throat swab and a nasal swab, as required under the international procedures, were taken and have been air-lifted to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in New Delhi.
The incident follows another passenger from Dubai, who complained of “flu-like symptoms”, being quarantined at Kolkata airport for suspected swine flu on Wednesday.
But a woman who was quarantined in Kathmandu after arriving in Nepal from Dubai, via India, with swine flu symptoms has tested negative for the virus.
The woman had been performing at a cultural show in Dubai, reports said.
The Consul General of India in Dubai issued a travel advisory on swine flu to all visa applicants. Visitors to India who develop a fever or cough within seven days of arrival are asked to contact local health authorities or call the outbreak monitoring centre at 0091-11-23921401.
Meanwhile, a passenger who flew from Canada to the UAE with H1N1 flu symptoms has been put in quarantine and precautionary medical measures have been taken to examine him and diagnose his illness. Test results are awaited. He is believed to be a Pakistani academic working in Al Ain, although no official from the Ministry of Health
was available for comment when contacted by 7DAYS.
To combat the illness, airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have already installed heat-detecting scanners that notify medical staff if a passenger’s temperature is above 38 degrees Celsius.
Worldwide, more than 11,000 cases and 85 swine flu deaths have so far been reported.
By Fareed Rahman
© 7Days 2009
Recent Entries
- Senior expat nurses in govt hospitals await pay revision
- Jordan: King opens 5th International Conference of Royal Medical Service
- Food inspection system is changing
- Crown Prince donates SR 1 million for Saudi Society of Critical Care Medicine
- 244 cases reported
- Liow briefs MPs about flu fight
- Type-A (H1N1) cases pass 2,000 mark
- Ismail backs firm measures
- Flu hits UM orientation week
- Dh19.5m Abu Dhabi Grant for Yemen Hospital