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June 24, 2016

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Home » Metro » Health and Science

Procedures tightened after airline cholera case

THE authorities are tightening health inspection procedures on direct flights from India to Shanghai after a foreign passenger tested positive for cholera, the first new case in Shanghai in years, officials said yesterday.

Cholera is a potentially fatal infectious disease and patients must be isolated to prevent it from spreading.

The Indian passenger took China Eastern flight MU564 from New Delhi to Pudong airport on May 30 with 210 passengers and 18 crew members on board.

The crew reported to Shanghai airport quarantine authorities before arrival that the passengers and flight crew appeared to be in good health, the Shanghai Airport Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said.

However, an Indian passenger was later found lying outside a toilet in the international arrival area by an airport worker, according to the bureau.

Because it was not known what had caused him to feel unwell, the possibility that he had an infectious disease could not be ruled out. The aircraft, shuttle bus and other objects he came into contact with were immediately disinfected.

His vomit was collected and sent for laboratory testing and he was rushed to a local hospital, according to the bureau.

After a preliminary diagnosis found he had an acute case of gastoenteritis and his condition improved, he boarded a flight to Australia the same night.

However, his test results, which took four days to process, showed he was positive for both vibrio cholerae and escherichia coli, the bureau said.

A warning has been issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China, which has ordered quarantine authorities nationwide to strengthen their inspection procedures.




 

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