Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore   

Swine flu not much of threat to India: Anbumani

CUDDALORE:India does not face much of threat from swine flu because of its hot climatic condition, said Anbumani Ramadoss, former Union Minister for Health.

Fielding a question on the advent of the disease at the press conference held at Chidambaram on Monday, Dr. Ramadoss said that the virus could survive only in sub-25 degree – 30 degree Celsius temperature and not above it.

Therefore, the hot climate itself was acting as a deterrent to the spread of the disease.

He said that the H1N1 strain of swine flu had afflicted 230 people in Mexico and 750 others elsewhere in the globe. Dr. Ramadoss said that bird flu was the cause of the H5N1 strain.

However, both the diseases could be treated with a common medicine, namely oseltamivir sulphate tablets. While in case of bird flu, the World Health Organisation hoisted the Phase 3 alert, in case of swine flue it raised the Phase 5 alert. (Whenever a disease reaches a pandemic stage the final Phase 6 alert would be sounded).

Dr. Ramadoss said that during his tenure an Integrated Disease Surveillance Project was launched to cope with such exigencies. Under the project, 24-hour vigilance was mounted in all the airports, seaports and other important entry points.

He said that in the name of controlling swine flu there was no point in eliminating pigs, because the strain had already attained the human mutation, or in other words it was now spreading from person to person and not through pigs.

When asked about his unfinished agenda as Health Minister, Dr. Ramadoss said that it was about carrying the pictorial warning on the use of tobacco. Two years ago it was decided to put up the warning in 50 per cent space of the packets.

But there was strong opposition to it from the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Therefore, the group of Ministers, led by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who reviewed the situation, scaled it down to 40 per cent.

But recently it was stated that the advertisement should occupy 40 per cent of space on only one side of the pack and not on the sacks and cartons. But now a new group of Ministers had been appointed.

Any dilution on this score would benefit only the tobacco manufacturers, Dr. Ramadoss added.

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