Alarmed at the spurt in swine flu cases, West Bengal government on Tuesday asked the Railways to conduct emergency health check-ups in trains entering the state from worst-hit Mumbai and Pune in a bid to tackle spread of the viral disease.
“We have suggested to the Railways to conduct health check-ups in the trains entering West Bengal from swine flu-hit Pune and Mumbai,” the state’s Chief Secretary, Asok Mohan Chakraborti, said after a review of the situation in the state.
Till Tuesday, 53 positive H1N1 cases have been reported in the state and most of them have returned home cured, he said. Chakraborti said red and blue cards might be issued to the passengers when they alight from those trains at stations here.
He said as the NICED was heavily burdened and unable to conduct tests on not more than 120 samples per day, the state health department had sought the Centre’s permission to share the responsibility with a private diagnostic centre as the situation was aggravating.
“A private diagnostic centre, Dishan, having BSL-3 certification, has been identified,” he said. Chakraborti said private diagnostic centres had informed him that their centres lacked proper infrastructure to conduct such tests.
{{/usCountry}}“A private diagnostic centre, Dishan, having BSL-3 certification, has been identified,” he said. Chakraborti said private diagnostic centres had informed him that their centres lacked proper infrastructure to conduct such tests.
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