Friday, August 07, 2009

Maharashtra disapproves TN advisory on travelling to Pune

Pune: Maharashtra government disapproved of the advisory issued by Tamil Nadu, advising its citizens against travelling to Pune which is grappling with a spurt in swine flu cases.

"There is no need for panic and banning travel to Maharashtra is an unwarranted measure," state Health Minister Rajendra Shingne told reporters here.

Shingne, who reviewed measures taken by the district administration to contain the H1N1 infection, said additional pre-screening centres have been opened for screening of suspected cases. "This will ease the load on civic Naidu Hospital".

A 14-year-old girl died of swine flu here on Monday, becoming the first victim of the disease in India. The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday advised the people of the state, especially young children, to travel to Pune and Satara in Maharashtra only if required.

Shingne said 204 positive H1N1 cases have been detected in Maharashtra with a large chunk reported from Pune.

On the closure of schools as a preventive measure, the minister said a policy decision in this regard would be taken in consultation with National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).

The school administration can, however, use its discretion to shut down the institution if a Swine flu case is detected among its students, he said.