Society

SARS In India

As SARS comes home, Indian health authorities are caught ill equipped as the virus travels on from metropolitans like Mumbai and Kolkata to interiors like Thrissur and Gurdaspur. A chronology of the virus in India.

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SARS In India
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1 May

  • More than 200 people are under quarantine in Pune.

  • Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj admits that early cases of SARS were mismanaged in Mumbai and Kolkata.

30 April

  • A 65 year old man who had not tarvelld to any SARS affected countries, is tested positive for SARS in theinitial tests conducted in a Amritsar hospital.

  • Singopore's Health Ministry confirms that SARS virus killed the 43 year old taxi river of Indian origin ,who died 11 days ago. He is the first Indian victim of the killer disease. 15 family members and friends arequarantined.

  •  27 Air India pilots move Mumbai High Court to challenge their suspension.

  •  Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj informs the Parliament that a total of nine confirmed cases ofSARS are reported in India 

  •  A cumulative total of 50 cases have been received at different government laboratories in India and24 persons being followed up.

  •  Nine staff members from the Siddhartha Hospital in Pune, who were treating the D'Silva family , arediagnosed positive with SARS, though showing no typical SARS symptoms.

 29 April

  •  Air-India management de-recognises the Indian Pilots Guild and suspended 18 more pilots for refusingto fly, and filed a caveat with Mumbai and Delhi high courts on the suspension issue.

  •  Total of 45 Air India pilots and officers suspended and 55 others given show cause notices.

  •  All Air India flights from Chennai suspended till May 4.

  •  The patient admitted in Christian Medical College Hospital in Vellore is tested positive for SARS. 

  • 32-year-old Hazari Prasad, who arrived at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkatafrom Cambodia via Bangkok, is isolated and sent to the Infectious Diseases Hospital for diagnosis aftershowing SARS symptoms.

  •  30 percent of the doctors and medical staff at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata, do notreport to work for fear of catching the infection due to lack of basic protection.

  •  Five suspect cases are also reported in Karnataka and their blood samples are sent for tests.

  •  A 29-year-old woman in Thrissur in Kerala , who arrived from Singapore recently, is placed under'observation' at her residence as a precautionary measure though she did not show any symptoms of SARS.

  •  L M Sharma, a suspected SARS patient, flees from the civil hospital in Gurdaspur, Punjab, withoutgetting treatment.

 28 April

  • The driver from Ambernath, who had taken the D'Silva family from Mumbai to Pune is located and testspositive for SARS. 

  •  A textile engineer from Kolkata, Asitabha Purokayastha, who was admitted for two days in a Bangkokhospital before he returned to India on April 19 and admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kolkata istested positive for SARS. Later he is discharged from Hospital and put under quarantine. 
  •  The cases SARS in India reaches nine. 

  •  Air-India charge-sheets 12 suspended pilots for their refusal to operate and  for 'abandoning'flights at various destinations.

 27 April

  •  Defense Minister George Fernandes and officials of his delegation are screened at the Indira GandhiInternational Airport for SARS after their weeklong visit to China.

26 April

  •  Air-India management gives an ultimatum to Indian Pilots Guild to withdraw their directives foroperating flights to SARS-affected regions and resume duty.

  •  12 Air India pilots suspended.

25 April 

  •  Air India cancels five flights from Mumbai following an agitation by the pilots' union over SARS.The Indian Pilots Guild asks for certificate that the accompanying crew has not visited SARS affectedcountries in last 10 days.
  • Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu admits a 38-year-old man with symptoms of SARS. His familymembers are quarantined.

  •  Another person is tested positive for SARS in Pune.

 23 April

  •  20 persons, including doctors and medical staff of the Siddhartha Hospital in Pune are quarantined.

22 April

  •  A patient with suspected symptoms of SARS is admitted in a hospital in Jaipur. 
  •  The Maharashtra health authority launches a search for the taxi driver from Ambernath, who ferriedthe D'Silva family, whose three members were infected with SARS. 
  •  The Central government convenes a meeting of state health secretaries in New Delhi to chalk outplans to tackle the threat of SARS.

  •  With 14 suspected and four confirmed SARS cases throughout India, the Health Ministry expressesconfidence in its plans to check the epidemic. 


21 April

  •  Three members of the D'Silva family, who had visited Indonesia and were admitted in SiddharthaHospital in Pune since 17th April, are tested positive for SARS. 

20 April

  •  Another suspected SARS case is admitted to Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai. He is declared clear of SARSthe next day.


19 April

  • A New Zealand national, undergoing treatment in Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in New Delhi, is testedpositive for SARS in preliminary tests.

18 April 

  • Prashil Varde , is discharged from Goa Medical College after government officials, after consulting theUnion health minister, confirmed that he no longer posed any threat of spreading SARS

17 April

  • First confirmed case of SARS reported from Goa after Prashil Varde, a 32-year old marine engineer istested positive for SARS. Varde had landed in Mumbai on 29th March from Singapore and reached Goa on 2ndApril.


11 April

  • David Raphael Anthony, the SARS suspect in Hyderabad hospital, is cleared as his blood samples are testednegative.

9 April 

  • A British tourist is admitted in a hospital in Port Blair after showing symptoms of SARS during his seajourney from Kolkata. 

  • Air-India has decides to further curtail its services to Hong Kong with only 2 flights in week

8 April

  • An Indian national , David Raphael Anthony, coming from Australia via Singapore , is admitted in AP ChestHospital in Hyderabad after he shows symptoms of SARS. 

7 April

  • An American citizen, who landed in Mumbai on April 6, after visiting China and Vietnam, is admitted to theKasturba Hospital in Mumbai , with symptoms of SARS.

4 April

  • Indian embassy in Beijing cautions Indian citizens in China and Hong Kong to take precautions against SARS. 

3 April

  • The Health Ministry decides to screen passengers from all countries arriving at the airports in thecountry for symptoms of SARS.

  • Maharashtra government denies that a patient infected with SARS landed at Mumbai's Chhatrapati ShivajiInternational airport and drove down to Pune. 

2 April

  • Health Ministry directs State Governments to isolate and treat people found to be suffering from (SARS). 

  • Air-India decides to cut down the number of its flights to Hong Kong to thrice a week.

 17 March 

  • Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj presides a meeting of doctors from her ministry and top governmenthospitals and orders immediate action. 

  • International airports and major hospitals start gearing up to handle SARS cases 
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