The Hindu : Front Page : Mother, daughter with A(H1N1) flu arrived from New Jersey

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Monday, Jun 15, 2009
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Mother, daughter with A(H1N1) flu arrived from New Jersey

Staff Reporter

Vigil being maintained on spread and change of virus: official

Samples of 272 people have been tested and 20 turned out to be positive
Only two are indigenous cases, getting the infection from patients who arrived from abroad

NEW DELHI: Three more persons, including a three-year-old girl who travelled to Bangalore from New Jersey on June 12 with her mother, tested positive for the A (H1N1) influenza virus. Her mother too has tested positive for the flu.

Several persons across the country manifesting symptoms are being tested.

“The mother-daughter duo complained of fever and cough and reported at a health facility where their samples were taken and the two have tested positive. Their family and social contacts are being traced and put on chemoprophylaxis,” said a senior Union Government health official here on Sunday.

Another passenger, a 17-year-old male who travelled from Orlando to Delhi, transiting New York by a Qatar Airlines flight, was quarantined at the Delhi airport on Saturday.

He has tested positive. “The boy was travelling with a group of 31 school children from Jalandhar. The Punjab government has been requested to follow up with these children,” said the health official.

According to the Union Health Ministry, samples of 272 people have been tested and 20 turned out to be positive.

Of these, only two are indigenous cases, getting the infection from patients who arrived from abroad. The other samples have been found negative for the virus. Among the 272 tested, 90 were identified through screening at international airports and the rest were samples from persons who reported themselves.

Of the 20 cases, 11 have been discharged and the others, being treated at various government health facilities, are all stable.

Meanwhile, senior health ministry officials held a meeting to review the situation on Sunday.

“The swine flu virus is a new virus and we are keeping a strict vigil on its spread and change. With the anticipated change in season and environment we will have to wait and watch how the virus will react. We are implementing active surveillance of patients suffering from flu-like symptoms,” the official said.

The World Health Organisation has reported 29,699 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu from 74 countries till June 12. There have been 145 deaths.

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