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Indonesia's Bali plans blood test for new flu suspects at airport
Sunday, June 28, 2009 2:21 AM
JAKARTA, Jun. 28, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The Ngurah Rai International Airport of Bali in Indonesia plans to install laboratory equipment for blood test following the cases of flu A/H1N1 infection in the country, Nyoman Murtiyasa, head of the airport's health office said Sunday.
"It's just a plan. We have not installed it yet. Besides, it' s impossible to check around 7,000 visitors coming to Bali," he said, adding that the plan was only to check tourists who were considered showing symptoms.
Previous reports said the airport had installed the laboratory equipment on Friday and all passengers arriving from overseas would be required to take a blood test at the airport.
"I think the reports misquoted my statement," Murtiyasa told Xinhua.
The Jakarta Globe daily reported Sunday that a tourist from Melbourne, 22-year-old British passport holder Bobie Masoner, was the country's first confirmed flu A/H1N1 patient when she was rushed to Sanglah General Hospital in Bali's provincial capital of Denpasar shortly after landing a week ago.
She has since been declared recovered and discharged. Three other foreign tourists have also been treated at the hospital on suspicion of having the virus, health officials said.
Gusti Lanang Suartana, the head of medical services at Sanglah, said Masoner and her family were currently isolated at a house in the Jimbaran area, just south of the airport. Masoner was discharged from hospital after seven days of treatment.
Three patients are still being treated at the hospital, including George Coltman, a 12-year-old Australian whose test results were positive.
Meanwhile, Trisno Heryadi, a spokesman for state airport operator Angkasa Pura II, said Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport had no immediate plan to require blood tests for arriving international passengers. Instead, the airport would use thermal scanners to identify passengers with a fever.
"Any passenger showing flu symptoms will be immediately rushed to the airport medical center," he said.
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