Arrangements in place to control swine flu during Kumbh Mela Haidwar

With the famous Kumbh Mela likely to bring in hordes of tourists to the state, the Uttarakhand government is taking steps to prevent an outbreak of swine flu. As a precautionary measure, the Uttarakhand government has established 31 temporary hospitals and given training to about 120 doctors to diagnose and treat swine flu during the period of the Kumbh Mela. Further, over 12 other doctors – trained at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital – would manage the intensive care units (ICUs) and operate ventilators in case of a necessity, explained the state’s chief nodal officer for swine flu, Dr Pankaj Jain. He also said that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had helped to form four rapid response teams to help during emergencies.