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Khaleej Times Online
No Panic After Infected Indian Flies Via Dubai
18 May 2009
DUBAI - The Indian passenger who flew via Dubai before being tested positive for swine flu in Hyderabad had not declared any health issue and cleared the thermal scanner check at Dubai International Airport, Emirates airline said on Sunday.
Indian authorities on Saturday had declared that the 23-year-old man was the first confirmed case of swine flu (influenza A (H1N1)) in the country.
Reports from India said the student of Indiana University, Bloomington, had reached Hyderabad in the early hours of Wednesday from New York via Dubai in an Emirates Flight (EK524).
?On all Emirates flights from north and south America, passengers are required to declare their health condition in an official form which is collected on arrival at Dubai by the UAE Ministry of Health. Emirates can confirm the person identified as having Influenza AH1N1 declared no health issues. Also, the passenger cleared thermal scan machines installed by health authorities at Dubai International Airport,? Orhan Abbas, Emirates Vice-President-India and Nepal, said in a statement.
Abbas said the airline was co-operating fully with the MoH and the Andhra Pradesh health authorities by providing the necessary passenger details from flights EK202 (New York?Dubai, May 11) and EK524 (Dubai-Hyderabad, May12). ?Emirates will continue to assist the authorities in their efforts to contact all passengers who were seated close to the person identified as having Influenza AH1N1. The Emirates crew erving in the same cabin section have been advised to contact the Emirates Clinic if they experience flu symptoms,? he added.
The Ministry of Healthy Director General Dr Ali Ahmed bin Shakar said a Dubai team was contacting the passengers on the Hyderabad flight on a personal basis and asking them to seek medical help in case if they develop any symptoms. ?The virus usually spreads to people who come in very close contact with the infected person. I don?t think it should be a reason for the crew to worry about it. Moreover they had already been educated about preventive measures and have been advised to report if any symptoms develop,? he told Khaleej Times. Dr Hanif bin Hassan Ali, UAE Minister of Health, who chaired an emergency meeting of the National Supervisory Committee for Combating Swine Flu in Dubai on Sunday, reassured the residents about the country?s preparedness against the outbreak of the new strain of virus that has infected 8,480 people in 39 countries. He also asked them not to panic in the wake of the Indian passenger testing positive for the disease. ?We have taken up the issue very seriously and we are extra cautious about handling all aspects of it. There is no need for panic,? he told Khaleej Times after the meeting that was held hours ahead of his trip to Geneva to attend the WHO General Assembly. A high level delegation is accompanying the minister to the meeting which will discuss ways to contain the global spread of the disease.
Dr Hanif will present UAE?s national preparedness plan and hold discussions about influenza A H1N1 and various other health issues.
Khaleej Times Online
No Panic After Infected Indian Flies Via Dubai
18 May 2009
DUBAI - The Indian passenger who flew via Dubai before being tested positive for swine flu in Hyderabad had not declared any health issue and cleared the thermal scanner check at Dubai International Airport, Emirates airline said on Sunday.
Indian authorities on Saturday had declared that the 23-year-old man was the first confirmed case of swine flu (influenza A (H1N1)) in the country.
Reports from India said the student of Indiana University, Bloomington, had reached Hyderabad in the early hours of Wednesday from New York via Dubai in an Emirates Flight (EK524).
?On all Emirates flights from north and south America, passengers are required to declare their health condition in an official form which is collected on arrival at Dubai by the UAE Ministry of Health. Emirates can confirm the person identified as having Influenza AH1N1 declared no health issues. Also, the passenger cleared thermal scan machines installed by health authorities at Dubai International Airport,? Orhan Abbas, Emirates Vice-President-India and Nepal, said in a statement.
Abbas said the airline was co-operating fully with the MoH and the Andhra Pradesh health authorities by providing the necessary passenger details from flights EK202 (New York?Dubai, May 11) and EK524 (Dubai-Hyderabad, May12). ?Emirates will continue to assist the authorities in their efforts to contact all passengers who were seated close to the person identified as having Influenza AH1N1. The Emirates crew erving in the same cabin section have been advised to contact the Emirates Clinic if they experience flu symptoms,? he added.
The Ministry of Healthy Director General Dr Ali Ahmed bin Shakar said a Dubai team was contacting the passengers on the Hyderabad flight on a personal basis and asking them to seek medical help in case if they develop any symptoms. ?The virus usually spreads to people who come in very close contact with the infected person. I don?t think it should be a reason for the crew to worry about it. Moreover they had already been educated about preventive measures and have been advised to report if any symptoms develop,? he told Khaleej Times. Dr Hanif bin Hassan Ali, UAE Minister of Health, who chaired an emergency meeting of the National Supervisory Committee for Combating Swine Flu in Dubai on Sunday, reassured the residents about the country?s preparedness against the outbreak of the new strain of virus that has infected 8,480 people in 39 countries. He also asked them not to panic in the wake of the Indian passenger testing positive for the disease. ?We have taken up the issue very seriously and we are extra cautious about handling all aspects of it. There is no need for panic,? he told Khaleej Times after the meeting that was held hours ahead of his trip to Geneva to attend the WHO General Assembly. A high level delegation is accompanying the minister to the meeting which will discuss ways to contain the global spread of the disease.
Dr Hanif will present UAE?s national preparedness plan and hold discussions about influenza A H1N1 and various other health issues.
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