Imphal, January 30 2010: Manipur Health Services authority on Saturday announced that the proposed withdrawal of screening of the incoming passengers for swine flu at the Imphal Airport by medical team deferred until further taking into account on the confirmation of second positive case in the state.

On late Friday, state health authority announced that a second positive case confirmed in the state when tested nasopharyngeal swab sample at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi.

The nasopharyngeal swab sample of a lady from Elangbam Leikai, Imphal who voluntarily sought medical check up for suspected swine flu at JN Hospital, Porompat tested positive, said the Director of State Health Services, W Motilal Singh today.

The lady, Chitra Ahanthem (a columnist of the Imphal base English daily, the Imphal Free Press and also an AIDS activist) recently returned from a trip to Bangkok, Thailand on January 24, developed symptoms resembling swine flue.

The physician attending to her at the hospital on January 27 collected nasopharyngeal swab sample and sent to NCDC, New Delhi.

"According to the official communication from the NCDC, she was tested positive of swine flu," the director said adding that she became the second positive case in the state since July 2009 .

She is presently at home with all home isolation protocols and along with chemotherapy.

And her immediate close contacts (four persons) at home, though, symptoms free are given clean prophylaxis with Tamiflu for 10 days.

Manipur government in July last year had sounded swine flu alert with the confirmation of a girl who was among the four girl fencers returned from Singapore after participating in an international event confirmed of infection.

Manipur had intensified surveillance of Swine Flu with Rapid Response Team (RRT) comprising of five to six doctors at the district level put into work and opening up of control rooms at the district level since the report of outbreak of the disease in Assam.

People coming from outside in the state are checked at various entry points like the Imphal airport and on the national highways.

A team of well trained doctors in the field from Imphal west district Chief Medical Officer are stationing at Imphal Tulihal Airport for the same.

Another team of experts is also stationed at Moreh to check people coming from Myanmar under the supervision of the chief medical officer of Chandel district.

However, state health authority recently decided to stop screening of incoming passengers at the Imphal airport from February 1 (tomorrow) but it has been deferred, the director Motilal announced today.

Screening at border town, Moreh and highways at Jiribam bordering Assam and Mao bordering Nagaland had already been stopped recently.

For the time being no decision to re-install the screening check post had so far been taken, he added.

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