The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Three more A(H1N1) quarantine centres

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Thursday, Jul 02, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Three more A(H1N1) quarantine centres

Ramya Kannan

Experts worried about the indigenous spread of the virus

— File photo

Mainstay: Pressure on the Communicable Diseases Hospital at Tondiarpet is likely to ease.

CHENNAI: Worried about the increasing number of passengers from international flights being quarantined on suspicion of A(H1N1) flu, Health Department officials have designated three other centres in Chennai and all peripheral hospitals in districts as quarantine centres.

In Chennai, the Tondiarpet Peripheral Hospital attached to the Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital and Government General Hospital have been identified.

Till now, passengers from the Chennai international airport were being taken to the Communicable Diseases Hospital at Tondiarpet, for quarantine. On Sunday, with more patients coming in, two of them were shifted to the Government Hospital here and lodged in two rooms in isolation.

All these facilities have been asked to set aside a separate ward or rooms to admit these patients who have to be kept in quarantine until results prove they are negative for A(H1N1) flu, Director of Public Health S. Elango told The Hindu.

Since April, there have been 63 cases of suspected A(H1N1) flu, at the rate of 20 cases a month.

“In Madurai and Tiruchi, the cases have been few, so they are manageable, but we have made provisions for Chennai and Coimbatore, both cities that get a huge inflow of passengers from international flights,” Dr. Elango said.

Public health experts are also worried that about the indigenous spread of the virus from the infected person to the community. “If passengers on a flight test positive, there are chances that they would have spread the infection in the closed confines of the airplane. We need to monitor them carefully as they would have already gone home and into the community,” according to P. Kuganantham, Chennai Corporation Health Officer.

An agreement was reached on Wednesday with representatives of the Airports Authority of India agreeing to provide details about co-passengers on flights to health authorities. The Health Department would send teams to monitor them at home.

Unless this is done, chances are that the virus will be transmitted within the community and spread fast. While there are costs involved, Dr. Kuganantham pointed out that the consequences of not taking the precaution might lead to indigenous spread and then the spike in costs would be steep.

The DPH would also provide prophylactic doses (for prevention) of Tamiflu to close relatives of those who have A (H1N1) flu. Additionally, staff at all the hospitals identified to quarantine patients would be trained in lifting samples and preparing them for despatch to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi.

An ambulance provided by the Health Department would be available round the clock at the airports, Dr. Elango said.

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