In view of the rapid spread of swine flu all through the world, P. K. Sreemathi, Kerala health minister, has directed the Health Secretary and the Director of Health Services to take precautionary steps against swine flu.

In a declaration on Thursday, the minister asked them to make special arrangements in order to carry out medical examinations on passengers coming from the flu-hit areas in the three airports in the State.

"If necessary, passengers who had recently arrived in the state from affected countries should also be examined," she said.

The minister has also asked the District Medical Officers in which the airports are situated to coordinate with airports heads and the Revenue and Tourism Departments to tackle the threat of swine influenza, which has spread in the Americas and some European nations.

According to Indian Medical Association (IMA), there was no need for panic in the background of the swine flu outbreak.

In a statement, IMA State president R. Ramesh and State secretary J. Rajagopalan Nair said that the need of the hour was preventive action against swine flu based on a scientific approach.

Though 150 cases of this deadly flu have been reported in nine countries, the list of affected countries did not comprise India or any of the bordering nations, the statement said.

Following the epidemic, WHO has also not put any travel restrictions on riders up till now.

Swine flu is a common cold seen in pigs. In rare cases, it infects humans from pigs. There are also chances of its infection from one person to another.

The infection is found mainly in pregnant women and children.