Is Corona Virus spreading to India? Alert and prepared, India asks passengers from China to report in case they feel symptoms

News Bharati    22-Jan-2020 16:57:29 PM
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New Delhi, January 22: “As of 21st January, a total of 43 flights and 9156 passengers have been screened for novel Coronavirus illness. Till now, no case has been detected through these screening efforts. We are on alert and our preparedness is sturdy", stated the Central Government in India while updating on the preparedness measures taken by the Health Ministry on novel Coronavirus (nCoV) reported in China.
 
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Stating that passengers travelling from China be to report to the nearest public health facility in case they feel any symptoms, the Health Ministry has instructed Airport Health Organizations at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin for screening of passengers coming from mainland China at these seven international airports.
 
"While Signages have been put up at prominent locations in these airports for encouraging public about self-reporting of illness, immigrtion officers manning the counters have been sensitized at these airports. Close coordination is being maintained with Ministry of Civil Aviation to coordinate the screening effort and dissemination of information to inbound passengers through in-flight announcements", the statement read.
"Centre is constantly reviewing the evolving scenario working closely with Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of External Affairs, Deptt. of Health Research and the Indian Embassy in China. WHO is being consulted for updates on technical inputs. Series of meetings have been taken to review the evolving scenario, preparedness in terms of disease surveillance, laboratory support infection prevention and control, logistics, risk communication and in particular, hospital preparedness and need for coordination and collaboration with other Ministries", it added.
 
India has also approached all States and UTs to review their preparedness, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities needed to prepare for, detect and respond to possible outbreaks. Meanwhile, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme has issued advisory to pick up any travel related case reported in the community and follow up contacts of confirmed cases. While National Institute of Virology, Pune is fully geared up to test samples of nCoV, ten other laboratories under Indian Council of Medical Research’s Viral Research and Diagnostics Laboratories network are also equipped to test such samples, as per the reports.