Swine flu wreaks havoc in world, India on alert

FLU ALERT: The Health Ministry says by Saturday every state in India will be on alert.

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New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said the number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus is 331 people. Mexico has seen the worst of the outbreak, with 156 confirmed cases by the WHO, though Mexican authorities put the number higher, at 300 cases in Mexico alone and more than 150 deaths.

All schools have been closed and much of the country will be shut down over the next five days coinciding with a public holiday, but in an effort to stem the deadly outbreak. The US has confirmed 109 cases and 11 countries have now been hit.

Overnight the name of the virus has been changed from Swine flu to the 2009 H1N1 virus or H1N1 Influenza A because the World Health Organisation says the agriculture industry worldwide and United Nations Food Agency were concerned the term was mis-leading people, and also leading to the slaughter of pigs across the world.

The facts are that this latest virus is a mix of strains of pig, bird and human flu. The scary part is that it can jump from human to human, which is how it's spreading. The Indian Health Ministry is advising against unnecessary travel. With no cases in India so far, the Government doesn't want to take any chances.

"We have put a mechanism in place to track every passenger travelling in and out of India. Screening in 12 airports is underway and 96 doctors are manning 32 counters. Over 18,000 passengers have been screened so far, says Joint Secretary of Health, Vineet Chawdhry.

The Health Ministry says by Saturday every state in India will be on alert.

"The Health Ministry will send 2.5 lakh capsules of oseltamivir, 18,000 personal protective kits and 1 lakh masks to regional offices of Health and Family Welfare," Chawdhry added.

The Centre has also asked veterinary doctors in the Northeast, which houses a quarter of the country's pig farms, to be on high alert.

(With inputs from Ginny Narula)