SARS: state health ministers' meet called

NEW DELHI: The Centre has convened a meeting of State Health Ministers here on Thursday to discuss and chalk out an action plan to tackle the threat of the killer respiratory disease SARS.
Responding to members'' queries in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Health minister Sushma Swaraj said she would herself meet all the ministers and health secretaries to discuss red alert and to take all steps to prevent spread of SARS in India.
She said some cases of SARS have been detected in India but all steps have been taken to contain the problem.
Even the World Health Organisation has said India was handling SARS cases efficiently, she said adding that the government would not be careless in its efforts.
Spelling out measures initiated by the government to deal with the situation, she said all passengers coming from abroad in different parts of the country were being thoroughly screened by health officials at airports and passengers found having symptoms of the killer disease were quarantined.
They are released only after reports of the samples of urine, blood, sputum and nasal discharge are found negative, she said.
Expressing serious concern over detection of some cases of SARS in India, she said "the government has taken all effective measures to deal with the situation and it will not be found lacking."