Two girls test positive for Swine Flu in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Jul 12 (PTI) Two girls from here in India's
western state of Gujarat have tested positive for Swine Flu,
while two others are suspected with the disease and have been
kept in the isolation ward of the civil hospital here,
District Health officials said.

With this, total number of confirmed Swin Flu cases
reported from Gujarat goes up to three.

The girls were among a troop of students who returned
from US after spending a year under an educational exchange
programme, a senior government official said.


"About ten girls aged between 16-20 years from the
city had gone to the US on a year-long cultural-cum-
educational programme organised by All Friend's Society (AFS),
an NGO, in August last year," Principal Secretary (Health)
Ravi Saxena told PTI.

"The group returned to New Delhi on July 5 and the
girls boarded the Ashram Express next day from the National
Capital and reached Ahmedabad on July 7. After their return
two girls complained of Swine Flu like symptoms and were
quarantined at the Civil Hospital here," he said.

"Two other member of the group, a girl and a caretaker
were also suspected of the Swine Flu symptoms and they too
have been kept in isolation. Blood sample of all four were
sent to National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD) in
New Delhi. Two girls tested positive for the disease," Saxena
said, adding that reports of other two are awaited.

According to Health Department officials, other members
of the group have also been traced out and their examination
revealed that non had symptoms similar to swine flu. However
they have been put on preventive medication, they added.

The ten girls from the city were part of a group of 40
girls from across the country, who had gone to the US for
foreign exchange programme facilitated by All Friend's Society
which has been organising such programmes since past few
years.

The first positive Swine Flu case reported from Gujarat
was that of a Thai National who had come to Kandla port as
member of the crew to take back a Thai ship last month. PTI PB
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