Lack of necessary equipment for swine flu screening is increasing the risk of swine flu spreading through the Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj.
Even though a four-member medical team is screening entrants from India for swine flu infection, the investigation is only verbal. No pathological tests are carried out as not even a thermal scanner is available to the medical team. The truckers who carry goods from India, however, are not checked for contamination.
Swine flu is currently pandemic in neighbouring India, and such inadequacy is increasing the risk of swine flu spread through the persons crossing into Bangladesh through this port. Swine flu related death toll in India has crossed 1,000 in 2015 alone, with more that 20,000 cases registered by the Indian Health Ministry.
Dr Taufiq-e-Elahi, a member of the medical team, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Under instructions form the Health Ministry, entrants from India are being checked for swine flu since last Sunday. We screen only passport holders coming in from India. No infections have been detected so far.
“However, Indian truckers have zero idea about swine flu; hundreds of them make trips across Bangladesh every day.”
About the equipment available, Dr Abdur Rahman, Shibganj upazila health and family planning officer said: “Equipment and medicine required for even the most rudimentary screening has arrived here yet.”
The civil surgeon of the district, Dr Md Alauddin, could not confirm whether the truckers are screened for the infections, but informed that a thermal scanner has been requisitioned; it should arrive shortly.
The immigration officer estimated the number of entrants to Bangladesh through the port at 50 people per day. Since Sunday, when the screenings began, more than 300 passport holders have crossed India into Bangladesh. However, more than 300 truckers have crossed Bangladesh without screening also.
Bangladesh has seen 800 cases of swine flu in total until 2009, and 6 people have died from the seasonal disease, says EGCD.