Guj govt ups guard against Swine flu

Following the outbreak of Swine Influenza (SI) in Mexico and the US, Gujarat government has activated its response mechanism and are keeping a close vigil in the state.       

"The SI or Swine Flu is mainly caused by pigs. So there are less chance of such outbreak in Gujarat as there are no organised piggeries in the state," state Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas told PTI.      

"However as a precautionary measure we have activated our Integrated Disease Surveillance (IDS) Programme and are keeping a close vigil in various parts of the state," Vyas said.       

Deputy Director (epidemic) of the health department, Dr S J Gandhi said that they were in the process of collecting information and instruction on the disease from the Centre.       

"We are preparing a detailed note on SI and are collecting more information from the central government. This note will be circulated to all the chief district health officials, district development officers and other health functionaries, Gandhi said.       

The health officials have been asked to coordinate with the animal husbandry department and to keep vigil in the areas where there are piggeries, he added.