Karnataka - Bangalore   

Sample swine flu testing was part of a drill

Bangalore: Clearing confusion and denying rumours over the detection of two suspected cases of swine flu in Bangalore, State Health officials on Wednesday said that the trial samples had tested negative for the H1N1 virus.

The officials maintained that the samples were tested on a trial basis. They were drawn from passengers, who returned from California and New York much before the screening process started at the Benguluru International Airport on April 29. None of the two had been quarantined or isolated, the officials said.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner P.N. Sreenivasichari said the passengers had come forward voluntarily to get their blood tested in response to the Health Department’s call to all passengers to be alert.

“That apart, we had directions from the Union Health Ministry to get two trial samples tested to check if the system is in place. We wanted to check whether the procedures of sample collection and storage, air-lifting to the laboratories in New Delhi and Pune and testing could be done in the prescribed manner and time. Now we have ensured that everything is in place. We do not want to take any chances,” he said.

Sources in the BIA confirmed that not a single passenger had not been identified with flu symptoms during the screening process in the airport so far.

“The two passengers who got their blood tested had arrived before the screening process started and there is a possibility they could have volunteered for getting tested. With the Health Department roping in private hospitals and providing them with sample collection kits, there is a possibility of more passengers getting tested for the virus,” the sources said.

As many as 16,800 passengers were screened in Bangalore and 1,361 in Mangalore airports so far. Additional Chief Secretary Vatsala Vatsa on Wednesday reviewed the preparedness of various departments including Health, Revenue, Tourism and Animal Husbandry, to deal with any eventuality.

The country is ready to immediately supply 10 million doses of Tamiflu, the anti-viral drug for swine flu, according to the Drugs Controller General of India Surinder Singh.

He told presspersons on the sidelines of a conference on Wednesday that four companies — Ranbaxy Labs, Hetero Drugs, Cipla and Natco Pharma — had sought approval to manufacture the drug.

“Initially, we had said that the available stock was one million doses of Tamiflu. But now we have 10 million doses of the drug on hand and there is no dearth of medicine in case of any eventuality,” Dr. Singh said.

“If required, 18 million doses can be made available in three weeks,” he said.

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