India to develop swine flu vaccine ahead of others: Azad
July 03, 2009 03:48 IST
With cases of swine flu on the rise in the country, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Wednesday that the number of testing laboratories has been increased from two to 18 and hoped that India will be able to develop the vaccine ahead of other nations. "We can now get the testing facility in 18 laboratories instead of two," Azad said in response to a calling attention motion on the matter in Rajya Sabha.
He said the country will be able to make the flu vaccine earlier than other countries as the scientists were already on
the job and the drug authorities are getting the nod from the World Health Organisation. The minister said that the disease is practically "non-existent" in the country as compared to some other countries which have a greater geographical expansion and lesser population than India.
"There have been 109 cases so far of which 70 (patients) have already gone back (from the hospital). Fortunately, nodeaths have taken place in India," he said. Azad said of the 109 cases, there was "imported virus" in 100. Among these patients, 70 per cent came from US alone.
On the preparedness of the government, he said 45,000 people are screened daily at the international airports and in 48 days, 26 lakh people have been screened. Azad said the Centre has directed states to strengthen isolation facilities and critical care at the district level. Central and state rapid response teams, comprising doctors drawn from various streams, were ready to be deployed to manage community outbreak situations, if any, he said.
He assured the House that there was adequate quantity of Oseltamivir, the drug recommended by WHO for the disease.
Azad said many of the travel-related cases could have been averted if the governments of the affected countries had followed exit screening at their airports. He said he took up the matter personally with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who issued necessary instructions to the heads of Indian missions. Earlier, members asked the government to take effective steps to check the spread of swine flu.
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