Screening of all incoming passengers begins
Screening of passengers of all flights started at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as coronavirus cases were detected in more than two dozens of countries alongside China.
Authorities in Bangladesh said that so far they did not find any coronavirus infected patients but a Nilphamari resident studying in China was isolated at Rangpur Medical College Hospital as he had symptoms like fever, coughing, sneezing and breathing difficulty.
Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research director Meerjady Sabrina Flora said on Saturday, ‘We’ve taken decision of screening all passengers as people of many countries are being detected with coronavirus.’
‘Passengers from different countries are being fully screened at the airport,’ she said.
She said that IEDCR sent a letter to the airport authorities in this regard on Thursday and the process began on Friday.
Health Services’ assistant director at the airport Shahriar Sazzad said that they have started providing declaration form, health information card and passenger locator form among the passengers.
‘All passengers will be fully screened as people from different countries are entering the country by 13 flights including four flights from China,’ he told United News of Bangladesh.
‘We’ll have a meeting with all the airlines in this regard on Sunday,’ he added.
Since January 21, the IEDCR was screening passengers of flights from China only.
The novel coronavirus, which originated from Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, has infected more than 34,546 people globally and claimed 722 lives till Saturday, reports Agence France-Presse.
Since the first cases were reported, the virus has spread to over 25 countries.
The World Health Organisation already declared global emergency over the new virus.
Bangladesh prepared to prevent the virus and set up isolation centres at all medical college hospitals and district hospitals as a precaution.
Bangladesh brought back its 312 citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of coronavirus, on February 1 and quarantined them for two weeks.
The IEDCR director said none of them were found infected with the coronavirus but they would be in isolation as the coronavirus’ incubation period is two weeks.
New Age correspondent in Ranpur reported that a patient having fever and breathing difficulty was admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital on Saturday noon and was kept in an isolation ward under observation.
A resident of Nilphmari, the patient is an engineering student at a Chinese university.
He returned home on January 29.
He had been suffering from fever, cough and felt suffocation since last Thursday at home. He was transferred to RMCH this morning, said the hospital assistant director Mokaddem Hossain.
‘We kept him in an isolation ward under special measures,’ he said, adding that a medical board was formed for him and samples were sent to the IEDCR for testing.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
