Authorities also said two persons who disembarked at Hyderabad airport have been referred to an identified health facility. So far samples of 20 persons have been tested and found negative for Influenza H1N1.
Samples of two persons from Hyderabad and one person who self reported from Jalandhar are under test, a statement from the Health Ministry said. As of now, no case has been reported in India. The situation is being monitored, it said.
The Ministry of Health has also issued a press advisory informing public that retail sale of Oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) is not permitted in India.
"Chemists are not authorised to sell it. Indiscriminate use of this drug by the public could result in the virus developing resistance to this only known treatment of the H1N1 influenza," the advisory said.
The government also said that it was maintaining adequate stockpiles of Tamiflu that shall be distributed free through the public health network in case of any confirmed cases of the disease came through.
Meanwhile, screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 21 international airports, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Varanasi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram.
A total of 39,315 passengers have been screened while around 5,987 passengers were from affected countries. 165 doctors and 86 paramedics have been deployed to man 67 counters at the above airports.
World Health Organization has so far reported 1,516 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection with 30 deaths from twenty two countries. There are 403 laboratory confirmed human cases in United States of America with one death. Mexico has reported 822 cases including 29 deaths.
