Swine flu could spread to Pakistan: Ansar Burney

KARACHI: Pakistan's former Federal Minister for human rights, Ansar Burney has said that the Ansar Burney Trust International is trying hard to raise awareness against Swine Flu which has become epidemic in India and could spread to Pakistan.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, Ansar Burney has requested the President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Main Nawaz Sharif to take immediate measures to pre-empt the spread of disease to Pakistan.

He said Swine flu death cases in India are rising alarmingly. In an attempt to stop the spread of the disease, government officials in India have banned public gatherings in some regions of the country.

Ansar Burney mentioned a recent case in which famous Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor was tested positive for H1N1 virus after she was admitted into Sterling Hospital in Rajkot recently.

He said the latest swine flu outbreak started in India in December 2014. About 17,000 people have been infected with swine flu caused by the H1N1 virus. Around 1,000 people have already lost their precious lives to the infection and the death toll is on the rise.

Ansar Burney Trust International said Swine flu originate in pigs and then spread in human beings through sneezing, coughing or coming in contact with an infected person's body fluids.

Even though people from all age groups can get swine flu, health experts suggest that elderly people over 65 years, children under 5 years and people with weak immune system are at higher risks.

Ansar Burney said Provinces of Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan are particularly at a risk of Swine Flu spread as the disease has become epidemic in India.