KATHMANDU: Though the government decided to set up a medical desk at Tribhuvan International Airport in response to swine flu virus A (H1N1) epidemic, officials at the Information Service Centre at TIA are ignorant of any such measure.
The government had announced on Sunday to take tough measures to control the swine virus A (H1N1) that has sparked pandemic fears, spreading from Mexico to USA, Israel, Canada and other countries.
“We have received no information about the control desk for swine flu here at the airport,†said a terminal duty officer at the ISC, TIA. “We have heard of the government’s decision but nothing of the sort has been set up yet,†he said on condition of anonymity.
According to ISC at TIA, 1,850 people arrived in the capital from abroad yesterday. “About 2,000 visitors
arrive in the capital via international flights daily. A majority of them are international tourists,†he added. A UK national,
Dick Griffiths, who arrived here for a holiday, said
there was no screening for the flu at the airport. “There was no checking. I came from UK via Dubai and Delhi,†he added.
The TIA official at ISC said it was the responsibility
of the health ministry to work on the matter. Incidentally, an undersecretary of MoHP, who was present at TIA, said he had heard about the government decision but did not know much about it. “There is an urgent need to set up a medical desk at the airport but I have come here just as a visitor. So, I am not the right person to comment on it,†he said.
Pranaya Kumar Upadhyaya, senior public health officer at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, said the MoHA decision to set up the medical desk would be finalised tomorrow. “We need permission of the ministries of Home Affairs and Finance, and Civil Aviation Authority to establish the desk at TIA,†he said.
According to him, a team comprising a medical doctor, a nurse, a paramedical officer and an assistant will be deployed at the desk. “The visitors will have to fill forms, which are being prepared. The desk may be set up tomorrow,†he added.
At least 81 people had died of the flu in Mexico between March 18 and April 26. At least 20 were found infected with the virus in the US, 10 in New Zealand, six in Canada and three in France, according to the health ministry.
Singh said that the implications of such “financial depression” can be even worse for those in the age group of 40 to 60 years, as they were at higher risk of many complex health conditions and heart problems.