Meghalaya health department has taken exception to the cases of reported discrimination faced by swine flu patients as well as those who are suspected cases and said there was nothing to panic.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the health department said "staying away from people with suspected symptoms of H1N1 virus is a good sign of public awareness about the disease but appealed for an end to unnecessary panic".
The statement was issued in the light of reports that relatives of swine flu patients or those whose throat and nasal swab samples were referred to National Institute for Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICD), Kolkata were facing discrimination or being ostracised.
There are reports that certain students, especially those who come from a family with members whose throat and nasal swab samples have been sent to health institutes for H1N1 virus test, have been "socially ostracised" in their respective educational institutions.