from Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)

Panaji, Apr 29: State health authorities on Wednesday April 29 commissioned a team at the airport to screen the passengers vis-à-vis swine flu scare in the country.
 
The health department has also asked the state tourism department to help them track down the tourists from countries like the UK, the US, France, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand whose throat swab sample would be taken.
 
“The team is already at the airport but we will start the full-fledged operations by tomorrow as we are awaiting the forms to be printed. These forms would be given to the passengers who arrived from the countries feared to be in the grip of swine flu,” state epidemiologist Dr Rajendra Tamba stated.
 
Goa is amongst the few airports where union health ministry has asked to adopt more specific measures as large number of UK citizens visit this beach heaven.
 
The tourism department statistics revealed that around 500 tourists from UK have arrived in Goa after the swine flu cases  surfaced.
 
The state health department has now sought the help of tourism department and travel and tourism association of Goa to track down these tourists. “We appeal the hoteliers to inform us about such tourists as we need to screen them,” Dr Tamba said.
 
The state government which had activated its machinery on Tuesday morning has said that there is no need to panic.
 
Chief minister Digamber Kamat on Tuesday evening held a high-level meeting and asked the authorities to initiate measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease and to contain it before it spreads to citizens.
 
The state government has also shot down the rumours that there are  cases of death of pigs in the siolim village. Reacting to the media report, the government spokesman said that animal husbandry department officials have visited the village and found that the news is untrue.