The Hindu : Front Page : Suspected swine flu patient in Chest Hospital

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Sunday, May 03, 2009
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Suspected swine flu patient in Chest Hospital

The 28-year-old passenger arrives in Hyderabad from San Francisco

— PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

An 108 ambulance attendant carries the baggage of the San Francisco passenger.

HYDERABAD: A 28-year-old passenger, who reached the city on Saturday morning, from San Francisco via Dubai, was admitted to Government General and Chest Hospital, Erragadda with symptoms of suspected swine flu. Another passenger, who came to Hyderabad from Mexico via New Delhi on Saturday, was counselled and allowed to go home.

The hospital authorities did not reveal the identity of both the passengers but confirmed that they were from Hyderabad and working on overseas assignments. The authorities said that the patients insisted their identity be kept under wraps.

The passenger who came from Mexico volunteered to meet the doctors of Chest Hospital despite not having any flu symptoms. The doctors said that a medical team will visit the passenger’s residence for regular check-up. He has been asked not to venture out till the doctor grants him permission.

The San Francisco passenger arrived at 2.50 a.m. on Saturday at Shamshabad International Airport by an Emirates flight from Dubai and was admitted to the hospital at 5.30 a.m. with a running nose. The doctors, fully attired in the personnel protection equipment, immediately shifted the patient to isolation ward for a battery of diagnostic tests.

Throat and nasal secretions, swabs, sputum and serum samples of the patient were collected and immediately sent to National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi for confirmation. The vital signs, temperature and blood pressure of the patient were stable, doctors informed.

“The patient took a flight on April 30 in San Francisco to Dubai. He was screened for swine flu at the San Francisco airport. He was not screened by doctors in Dubai, where he stayed for two hours before taking a flight to Hyderabad. The patient would be kept in isolation till we get NICD results,” said Professor of TB and Chest Diseases, Government General and Chest Hospital Dr. K. Subhakar.

About 2,500 such passengers had undergone the check-up at the airport soon after they arrived by about 15 flights on Saturday, said L. V. Subrahmanyam, Principal Secretary, Health. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary P. Ramakanth Reddy reviewed the preparedness of the Medical & Health department to meet the new challenge and issued orders for making available adequate stocks of drugs at the hospitals all over the State.

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