By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jun 12: Few hours after state health secretary confirmed of the first case of swine flu in Goa, the Directorate of Health services said that suspected person was diagnosed with influenza type A.
 
“He is still suspected to be swine flu patient. The initial tests conducted on him have confirmed that he was suffering from influenza type A,” Director of Health Services Dr Rajnanda Desai told reporters here.
 
Dr Desai’s statement comes hours after the state health secretary Sanjiv Srivastava confirmed that the patient who traveled from UK was positive for swine flu.
 
The passenger who traveled from London to Goa via Germany is confirmed patient of swine flu while we are checking the samples of second passenger who arrived in Goa from Sharjah this morning,” state health secretary Sanjiv Srivastava told this afternoon
 
The Director of health services, who addressed press later in the evening, said that although the preliminary test has confirmed influenza A type, it is not sure whether he is having ordinary fever or swine flu. “We will get his final report by tomorrow which will confirm his status,” she added.
 
“We have sent his samples at Delhi based National Institute of Communicable Diseases and National Institute of Virology, Pune for the confirmation whether he is having H1N1 virus,” Dr Desai  said.
 
The DHS said that the patient had himself volunteered to get checked for the suspected virus by approaching the directorate. “He had arrived in state from Belgium via London and Mumbai on May 04. We collected his throat swab sample on May 08,” Dr Desai said.
 
The patient who hails from Margao town in South Goa complained of throat irritation, headache and backache.
 
The DHS, taking no chances, have isolated the patient in primary health centre at Chicalim, 35 kms away from the capital city of Panaji.
 
Dr Desai said that a 21 year old girl who was isolated this morning after her arrival from sharjah for suspected swine flu was discharged from the Goa medical college and hospital near here.
 
“Her throat swab samples are taken and sent for test at NIV, Pune. She has been asked to remain in isolation at house and not to mingle with the crowd till her reports are available,” she said.
 
Dr Desai said that the state is well equipped to treat any swine flu patient. “We have 2,000 capsules of Ostltamivir in the stock,” the DHS said.