Security Beefed Up At Gujarat Ports to Check Swine Flu

GujaratThe Gujarat State government has asked its health officials to thoroughly screen all the foreign cargo ships before they enter the Kandla and Mundra port premises of the state.

Both Kandla and Mundra are considered as the busiest sea ports receiving cargo ships from the foreign countries. Both of these ports are located in the Kutch district of the state.

The government had made it clear that apart from all the foreign visitors, those Indians who have travelled abroad in the last two weeks would be put under the scanner before being allowed entry inside the port area. However, no case of swine flu has been reported in the state so far.

Speaking on the issue, Port Health Officer A Senthilnathan said, "Apart from regular health checkups as per international norms, a special screening programme has been pressed into action as a precautionary measure to single out any case of swine flu."

Moreover, the authorities are also collecting data having critical information about all visitors so that they can be contacted later, if required.

Apart from this, the Customs Department has also been asked to co-ordinate the matter with local health officials by the Health Ministry.