“While dealing with swine flu so far, we have found that screening of people is least useful, while isolation of suspected and proven patient is most useful,” Gujarat Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said today at IIM Ahmedabad while addressing school and college principals in a swine flu awareness workshop.

Vyas was referring to a screening process at the international airport in Ahmedabad. He said: ” We deployed 11 medical teams at Sardar Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad for screening purpose of the incoming passengers. Our teams screened in total 93271 people. Of these just 6 were found suspected. After testings were done, none of them was found positive.”

“Using Thermal checking system also couldn’t solve the purpose. Such checking system shows body temperature and pulse of a person automatically. However swine flu symptoms can be visible anytime in 0 to 7 days span after infection and before symptoms are out, there is no method to tell that X person is suspected or confirm swine flu case. As swine flu is now at pandemic 6 stage, airport screening anyway is no more important thing to do,” Vyas added.

Vyas urged school and college principals to behave in liberal manner and allow sick students to stay at home – “if your some student don’t come to school for some days due to sickness, they would not miss a chance to become Einstein or Newton. Mirabai and Kabir never went to school but they found their direction and became well-known figures. Be liberal and allow students to stay home if they are unwell. Don’t insist on their compulsory presence.”

Clarifying a general missbelief that most cases of swine flu are caused by NRIs or foreigners and next NRI home coming season in Gujarat will increase swine flu epidemic in the state, Jaynarayan Vyas said, of total 106 swine flu positive case in Gujarat as on 28th of August, only 11 patients had history of foreign travel. 26 patients had traveled out of Gujarat. Another 26 patients got swine flu through contact. 30 patients were not found in contact but somehow caught swine flu. History of 13 patients is not collected as of now. “This clearly shows that NRIs and foreigners are not the only people who cause swine flu,” Vyas said.

Vyas said, swine flu is low mortality – high morbidity disease, and most of the patients can be cured if they reach to the hospital during early stage of infection. Treating bacterial pneumonia is easy but viral pneumonia in later stage is not. Once lungs are infected, the situation invites multi organ failure very fast.

Vyas praised media’s role in Gujarat for correct, useful and constructive reporting on swine flu. He said Gujarat has lowest swine flu mortality rate of 2% in the country even though the fact that we attract foreign business delegations, our people visit foreign land frequently, and we had 10,000 students from Pune recently.

“Under 1897 Bombay Epidemic Act, our district health officer can visit any hospital, requisite any vehicle, stop any activity and even can detain a person. But we believe in democracy. And therefor I urge people to behave in responsible and health worthy manner,” Vyas said.

At the end of his speech, Vyas delivered a new mantra to fight swine flu advent: “Awareness-Isolation-Medication”.