‘H1N1 screening at Delhi’s IGI airport not exhaustive’

Dr Nitin Jain narrates his flight experience to China and back. “As the airplane landed at Beijing airport,an announcement asked us to remain on our seats. Four doctors,wearing masks and gloves and equipped with remote sensing temperature recorders,scanned all the passengers. It took about 8 to 9 minutes to scan the whole aircraft. At the airport,several staffers were seen wearing masks and gloves while paramedics and quarantine counters had also been set up. The health information forms that were distributed in the flight had to be submitted at these counters where a thermal imaging camera scanned the person’s body temperature again. Passengers with abnormal temperature were separated and their samples collected.”

He added: “It was,however,a different scene altogether at the IGI airport. After clearing immigration counters,health declaration forms were given to us to be filled. Boredom seemed to be the mood as form after form was stamped without even looking at the passengers. No infrared thermal cameras or other temperature measuring equipment was seen anywhere.”

Another resident,who was admitted in Government Multi-Specialty Hospital’s isolation ward at Sector 16 a few weeks ago as a suspected case of swine flu (but tested negative),reiterated a similar experience.

“At the airports in Malaysia and Singapore,a physical examination was conducted on passengers with body scanning machines which could gauge the body temperature and single out the suspects. At the Delhi international airport,it is just a simple form-filling exercise. If the patient himself does not tell the doctor that he or she has any symptoms,then they are allowed to go.”

Inder Singh,a resident of Sector 38,who returned from Thailand earlier this month after a week-long trip,says that merely relying on information given by passengers is not a sufficient criteria.

“As such,there have been cases where NRIs have refused to get admitted in hospitals even if they are suspected cases. In such a scenario,a rigorous screening should be undertaken.”

According to city health officials,around 15 suspected cases,all foreign returned,have been admitted in the hospitals here while only one case has tested positive till now.