Sunday, November 10, 2013

Health screening for Haj returnees at Bangalore airport #MERS #Coronavirus

Pilgrims being checked for symptoms of fever, cold, cough and respiratory problems

The Karnataka Health Department, based on an advisory received from the Union Ministry of Health, has been screening all Haj pilgrims returning after their sojourn in the Middle-East.
In coordination with the authorities of the Bengaluru International Airport Limited, the screening process is being enforced on the passengers arriving here from Saudi Arabia for symptoms of the Middle East Corona virus (MERS-CoV).
Geetha Nyamagowda, Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, said that the screening procedure had been on since November 5 and would conclude on November 13 , when the last batch of pilgrims would arrive. “We have a screening unit at the airport where we are checking the pilgrims for fever, cold, cough and respiratory problems.”
The department has not detected any case. R.T. Venkatesh, Deputy Director of health and family department, said that a man from Anantapur was found to have symptoms such as cold, cough and respiratory problem.
“As a precautionary measure, we sent him to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases. Since he insisted on returning to his hometown, we will request the A.P. health department to monitor his health status for the next 14 days.”
According to an official of the Haj Committee, 5,000 out of the 6,899 pilgrims in the State have returned from their pilgrimage.

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