Doctors busy setting up quarantine at airport

Author: Sanchita Sen Date: 24 Mar 2008

BIAL will have an area where health officers screen arriving passengers for bird flu and other diseases



BREATHE EASY: During the Sars scare a few years ago, passengers travelling from affected countries had to pass through a screening area at the airport. BIAL too plans to set up a quarantine area
Doctors at the international airport are busy setting up a quarantine to keep out diseases such as bird flu.

“World class airports have certain standards and we have to live up to them. The delay in the inauguration has given us time to work on things like the layout of the quarantine area,” said Dr V C Shanmuganandan, airport health officer.

The quarantine is a prerequisite at all international airports because that is where all passengers alighting from a flight arriving from an epidemic-hit region have to pass.

“This is a large space for screening during a crisis,” he explained.

During the Sars scare a few years ago, all passengers alighting from affected countries had to pass through such an area and get checked up. “The system helps check the entry of diseases into our country,” said Dr Shanmuganandan.

WHO help

The WHO, the doctor said, is keeping an eye on the bird flu scene.

“As of now there is no need to strike the panic button, but if the need arises, they will send us all the guidelines for screening international passengers,” said Dr Shanmuganandan.

BIAL has created high expectations and health officers want it to be perfect in every way, he said.