M A I N   N E W S

No case of SARS in India, says government
Indian Airlines pilots reluctant to fly to infected countries

New Delhi, April 9
Asserting that no case of dreaded SARS has been reported in the country so far, the government today said it had taken a number of steps at international airports and ports including the screening of passengers to the check entry of the mysterious disease.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Health and Family Welfare Minister Sushma Swaraj said “no case has been reported from India so far”.

However, adequate steps have been taken to prevent the entry of the disease into the country and to isolate and treat a case if reported, she said.

Elaborating on the steps taken by the government, Ms Swaraj said a proforma to screen all persons disembarking in the country for symptoms of suspected SARS cases had been prepared and handed over to the Immigration Bureau.

While National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), Delhi, and National Institute of Virology , (NIV), Pune, have been identified as the nodal agencies for laboratory investigation of any suspected case, facilities for treatment of such cases in isolation have also been arranged in Central Government hospitals as also in other Infections Disease hospitals. she said.

Stating that her ministry had held coordination meetings with other ministries and with World Health Organisation (WHO), Ms Swaraj said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has obtained required primers to diagnose virsuses believed to be causing SARS.

Referring to the two cases reported in the media, she said while the investigation into the case reported from Bhopal was not found to be a case of SARS, the National Institute of Virology is looking into another case of a US national in Mumbai and preliminary results are expected shortly.

Meanwhile, Indian Airlines pilots are unwilling to fly to countries reeling under the SARS virus threat. They have reportedly written to the management and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to this effect.

Singapore and Hong Kong are primarily included in the list. A large number of people there have been afflicted with SARS and there has been little check in the spread of the virus. The pilots have given a detailed proposal to the ministry listing out various alternatives, including a stopover in a neighbouring country. Agencies