Health Ministry for screening of outbound passengers in US

With a number of incoming travellers from the US testing positive for swine flu in India, the Union Health Ministry today said there should be some kind of screening for outbound passengers in that country.

Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi said the US has been the source of the virus for India with many travellers from that country testing positive for the flu.

"US is the main source as far as India is concerned," he told reporters.

"In Mexico when people leave the airport, they are properly monitored and screened. Similarly Americans should also provide some kind of screening at the point of deparature," Trivedi said.

He said Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had already requested the Ministry of External Affairs to prevail upon affected nations to start screening of passengers bound for India to cut down spread of the deadly virus.

However, Trivedi asserted that government is ready to handle the situation and there is no need to panic.

With seven Jalandhar students testing positive for swine flu yesterday, the total number of cases in the country has shot up to 30.

The Government yesterday asked travellers to defer their plans of going abroad till the disease was brought under control globally.