Authorities in Tripura screen truckers at border for swine flu symptoms

Agartala (Tripura), Aug.12 (ANI): Authorities in Tripura, which shares its border with Bangladesh, have stationed medical staff at border checkpoints to screen truckers for swine flu symptoms.

The state which has around 857 km long border with Bangladesh, has deputed seven surveillance teams comprising of 14 doctors to screen the truckers for symptoms of HINI virus.

"A lot of people are coming and going, and they may bring it (swine flu) from outside, posing a higher threat to our own state. We are actually screening people for flu like symptoms, common cold like symptoms. We check them and interrogate them and if we find that they have the potential for flu, we forward them to the state hospital," said Pranab Kanti Dutta, a medical officer, on Wednesday.

The virus has so far claimed 15 lives in India and has infected close to a thousand people.

India's first swine flu death was reported from Pune on August 3.

The H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, emerged in April in the United States and Mexico, and has spread internationally.

The World Health Organisation declared an H1N1 influenza epidemic on June 11. The virus has killed more than 800 people worldwide since emerging in April. By Pinaka Das (ANI)