Staff Reporter :Districts that share borders with neighboring India have been put on high alert amid concern over rising swine flu deaths in that country, officials said.Swine flu has already claimed the lives of nearly 900 people in India.Officials of the Department of Health (DoH) has intensified vigilance at the land ports of bordering districts by setting up check posts to prevent entry of infected Indian citizens in Bangladesh. “Bordering districts across the country have been put on high alert as part of our concern over the outbreak of swine flu in the neighbouring country. Swine flu-testing facilities have also been provided to all the government hospitals in the districts,” a senior DoH official told The New Nation on Thursday, asking not to be named. Isolation wards have been kept ready in these hospitals to take care of Swine flu affected patients if detected, he added. He further said medical teams kept standby at every check posts of the land ports to examine the heaths of the suspected people coming from India. But, the teams are yet to detect any case till Thursday noon. “We are taking the issue seriously and all efforts have been made to meet emergency. People should be careful about the virus, but they should not be panicked as medicine and testing facilities to tackle the disease are in place, said the DoH official. Administrations of seven northern bordering districts — Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Jaipurhat, Panchagar and Chapinawabganj — have also intensified their vigilance at all the land ports in the districts as part of the government’s efforts to tackle the possible outbreak of swine flu in these district, reports our Rangpur district correspondent.The DoH has set up check posts at the zero points of all the landports, including Sonahat, Burimari, Moghalhat, Banglabandha, Hilli and Sonamosjid, for keeping round the clock vigilance on the disease.Medical teams have also started working there. The teams are conducting health checkups of truck divers coming from Indian states. “A four member medical team has started working at the Sonahat landport from Tuesday. This team is conducting health checkups of goods laden truck drivers who are coming from different Indian states”, said Dr Jainal Abedin, Civil Surgeon of Kurigram district.According to him, about 200-250 goods laden trucks are entering the port from India everyday and the drivers of these trucks are being examined at the zero point of the port. “We remain alert and keep watching on bordering areas of the district so that the disease cannot spread here from the neighbouring country,” said Dr Sukumar Sarkar, Health Director of Rangpur Division. He added: Non-touch thermometers have been installed at all the landports in the division. Districts and upazila medical officers have been asked to remain standby for meeting any emergency.
