H1N1 Flu : Travel Advisory
from our Correspondent at MISPL, Chennai, INDIA
Posted May 15, 2009

We at the Murthy Law Firm are providing this update based on the first-hand experience of an attorney in our affiliate office, Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd., who recently returned to India after a brief visit to the United States.

The Civil Aviation Ministry of the Government of India has taken steps to screen passengers traveling to India from countries affected by H1N1 influenza. At the time of this writing, those countries are limited to Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

They have distributed a questionnaire to all international airlines to obtain a declaration from all passengers arriving in India. Upon arrival a team of medical officers from the airport's health organization verifies the questionnaire before clearing the international travelers for entry into India. Individuals exhibiting any of the symptoms listed below could be advised to have additional follow up or be quarantined. Hence, it may be advisable for anyone who has the following symptoms to avoid travel to India at this time.

1. persons with influenza-like illness, with a fever of greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit AND a cough or sore throat

2. case definition of human cases of swine flu (H1N1)

a) A suspected case of swine influenza A (H1NI) virus infection is defined as:

a person with an acute respiratory illness who was in close contact to a confirmed case of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection while the case was ill; OR

a person with an acute respiratory illness with a recent history of contact with an animal with confirmed or suspected swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection; OR

a person with an acute respiratory illness who has traveled to an area where there are confirmed cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) within seven days of suspect case's illness onset.

b) A probable case of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection is defined as a person with an acute respiratory illness with an influenza test that is positive for influenza A, but H1 and H3 negative.

c) A confirmed case of swine influenza A (HINI) virus infection is defined as a person with an acute respiratory illness with laboratory confirmed swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection at CDC by one or more of the following tests.
- real-time RT-PCR
- viral culture

A copy of the questionnaire (PDF 986KB) is available on MurthyDotCom. We are providing this information for benefit of our readers and recommend checking with appropriate agencies for up-to-date information before visiting India or other countries that may have similar precautions in place.