Screening of patients with swine flu symptoms is likely to be stopped at airports, Dr S B Nadoni, senior regional director of health for Maharashtra, Goa and Daman said. Nadoni said that an order was expected from the Centre within a day or two.

The screening at Pune airport commenced on April 30 and till date a total of 11,380 passengers were examined by a medical team. Only five with suspected swine flu symptoms were treated at the airport and given Tamiflu tablets, says Nadoni.

Pune airport has 10-12 weekly flights from countries and passengers fly in from countries like Singapore, Dubai and Germany. While Nadoni admitted that no serious complaints were received, however the centre was seriously toying with the idea of stopping the screening at the airport.

The exercise is more or less redundant now with the virus entrenched in various parts of the country, says Dr A C Mishra, Director of National Institute of Virology (NIV). Mishra told The Indian Express that almost all the countries had stopped the screening at their airports as the local transmission of the virus is well established now. We have also suggested this to the Union health officials, Mishra said. According to Dr Pradeep Awate, state epidemiologist, the number of medical personnel conducting the examination has already been reduced.

Nadoni confirmed that now a team of four state health officials, one medical doctor from the central government, four nurses and two more health officials were now posted at the airport for screening passengers.

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