'Screening can help minimise Novel Influenza'

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

No country in the world can ward off the Novel Influenza (A)H1N1 entering their domains.

The only thing a country can do is carry out screening in order to minimize the number of infected persons entering the country. Sri Lanka has reported 37 (A)HN1 patients so far but all of them had come to Sri Lanka from foreign countries, Chief Epidemiologists, Dr.Paba Palihawadana said.

She said that 90 percent of the patients had arrived from Australia while others had come from countries such as U.K, USA and Canada. None of the (A)H1N1 patients had been discovered within Sri Lanka so far and it is up to the patients to come forward in order to prevent spreading the disease within Sri Lanka. Meanwhile based on assessment of all available information and following expert consultations, WHO raised the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) alert level from phase 5 to phase 6. WHO recommends more emphasis on providing care and less on stopping the spread of the virus.