Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad reassured that the country is wholly trained to counter the challenge of H1N1, which has been declared a phase 6 pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).
 
Speaking with the media persons, Azad said: “We want to reassure the people that there is no need for panic. The disease is fully curable and we have enough stock of medicines. With a six-year-old girl who flew in from the U.S. testing positive for the flu in Hyderabad, the country now has 16 swine flu cases. Most of the cases reported are from people who have come here from abroad. We have treated five patients already and they have been discharged.”

The minister added that given the size and population of the country the number of positive cases is extremely less and the disease has not originated locally. All the cases have come from outside mainly from the US, therefore there has no need to panic. 

Earlier on Thursday, the WHO declared H1N1 Flu as phase six health pandemic. Swine flu, the world’s first pandemic in 4 decades has caused over 140 deaths and 30,000 infections in 74 countries.

As far as India is concerned, it has reported 16 H1N1 flu cases so far. Out of these, four more persons have tested positive on Thursday while five passengers were quarantined, three at Delhi and one each at Bangalore and Goa.

With a view to ensure better screening of passengers, the health authorities has decided to put in thermal scanners at airports to identify people who are penetrating the country with fever. Moreover, the government has also decided to ask its Indian missions overseas to tell people having signs of swine flu to postpone travelling to India.

The minister added that 16 more labs are being activated, 10 million doses of 'Tamiflu' have been procured and the Rapid Response Teams are being trained at state levels.

Apart from this, it is learnt that the country is expected to come up with a vaccine for the dreaded flu within the next four to six months.