Swine flu: Man quarantined in Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh health officials have quarantined a 26-year-old NRI, who showed flu-like symptoms on arrival in Hyderabad on Tuesday from Texas in the US, where several cases of swine flu have already been reported.

Andhra Pradesh health officials have quarantined a 26-year-old NRI, who showed flu-like symptoms on arrival in Hyderabad on Tuesday from Texas in the US, where several cases of swine flu have already been reported.

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The man, suffering from cold and related complaints, approached a corporate hospital on his own after landing on Tuesday, according to state principal health secretary L.V. Subhramanyam.

He told HT, “We have sent the swabs of the person to the Institute of Preventive Medicine in New Delhi on Wednesday and will get the report after 48 hours.”

Stressing that the state health department had adequate stocks of antidotes, he said a mobile unit of doctors had been stationed at the airport to screen all those returning from abroad, especially from Mexico, the US and other affected countries.

What’s more, two ambulances with nursing staff are also kept ready at the airport for fast transportation to hospitals. Meanwhile, the scare resulted in knee-jerk reactions from both the government and private agencies.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation launched a drive to catch and exterminate all the stray pigs in the city.