4 May 2009
Hyderabad, India
Within days of an NRI from San Francisco being quarantined on suspicion of swine flu, another case was reported from Hyderabad on Sunday. A 29–year–old software professional was taken away directly from the airport and quarantined at a hospital after he showed typical swine flu symptoms.
The techie, who landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International airport from Leonberg, Germany, on Saturday, was taken to AP General & Chest Hospital in Erragadda the next morning after health officials at the airport’s special counter for medical check–ups found he was suffering from cough, fever, cold and pain in the joints.
Officials said the man, who belongs to Chennai, had landed by a Lufthansa Airlines flight at 11.30pm on Saturday and was screened after immigration checks. Employed with a Hyderabad–based software firm, he was in Germany on deputation for 11 months.
A57–year–old Worli resident who recently returned from Mexico became the first Mumbaikar to be tested for the Influenza A (H1N1) infection with officials sending samples of his throat swabs to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, on Sunday.
Professor of TB and chest diseases at AP Chest Hospital, Dr K Subhakar, said, “He has had cough, cold, fever and joint pains for a week. After being brought to the hospital, he was given symptomatic treatment. Of 2,151 international passengers who disembarked at the airport, barring him, all have reported negative during the initial screening.”
Subhakar, who is the coordinator for H1N1 influenza at the hospital said the techie’s throat, nasal, swabs, sputum and serum samples were sent to National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, on Sunday for confirmatory tests.
Meanwhile, the 28–year–old NRI from San Francisco who was the first suspected case for swine flu, has tested negative.