Tamil Nadu first state to quarantine Maharashtra

With a Pune girl becoming the first H1N1 fatality in the country,Tamil Nadu has become the first state to issue a formal travel advisory...

With a Pune girl becoming the first H1N1 fatality in the country,Tamil Nadu has become the first state to issue a formal travel advisory,cautioning people against travel to the flu-hit districts of Maharashtra,and has made special arrangements at the Chennai railway station to screen passengers arriving on trains from Mumbai and other parts of the state. All trains from Maharashtra are being directed to Platform No. 1 at the Chennai Central.

Tamil Nadu Director of Public Health,S Elango,issued a travel advisory on Wednesday,urging people not to visit,unless absolutely essential,the districts of Pune and Satara in Maharashtra where the Epidemic Act has been invoked following the death of 14-year-old Reeda Shaikh on Monday.

Elango said the advisory was issued following a government review meeting over the H1N1 situation. The state government also invoked the Public Health Act of 1939,an amended form of the Epidemic Act.

It has been a matter of great concern after the death of the girl in Pune. We have issued a travel advisory to avoid non-essential travel to the affected districts, Elango said. The state Health Department will convene a committee to evolve an action plan and is seeking help of doctors to create awareness about swine flu.

At the Chennai Central railway station,the government set up a special booth to screen passengers arriving on trains from Maharashtra. The authorities decided to use Platform No. 1 to accommodate trains from Maharashtra as it is closer to the screening area where the doctors are stationed.

As the CST-Chennai Express pulled in this evening,a team of 11 doctors and paramedics requested passengers to voluntarily turn up at the booth for tests. The public address system too aired announcements about the flu,explaining the need for screening,particularly of people coming from Maharashtra

Ten passengers,six of them women,reported at the quarantine booth showing flu-like symptoms.

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According to Tamil Nadu Health Minister M R K Panneerselvam,over seven lakh people have been screened for swine flu so far. At the Chennai airport,passengers are being screened regularly. Department sources said that of the 213 samples sent for testing,33 have tested positive. Results for five samples are awaited.