Bangladesh sounds alert over H1N1

Bangladesh on Thursday alerted its citizens about the spread of H1N1 swine flu as authorities reported 87 cases in the country, with the situation in neighbouring India worsening rapidly, officials said. ‘It is a matter of concern for us as the situation has turned worse in neighbouring India,’ Health Minister Ruhal Haque told reporters after a meeting reviewing the country’s latest H1N1 situation. He asked the authorities concerned for proper screening of inbound passengers from India, especially through the land border crossings. Bangladesh has 14 land ports in operation with India. Earlier, the government enhanced vigilance on airports and sea ports introducing special medical desks to detect swine-flue infection. Most of the H1N1 cases were detected at Dhaka’s Zia International Airport, officials at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research said. The government called on the people not to panic over the situation as it has taken adequate measures to deal with it.