New Delhi: Every citizen who is unwell has the responsibility to get themselves checked at the earliest even after they are screened at the airports, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of World Health Organization, South-East Asia Region told CNN-News18 in an exclusive interview.
There is a certain level of resentment about getting screened at the airports, but getting tested after developing symptoms is necessary, said Dr Singh.
When asked if India is testing enough number of people, Dr Singh said, “So far, we have seen over 5, 000 samples tested, which is a good number. Different countries are testing in different degrees. One method can’t be better than the other.”
India has tested 6,200 samples until Thursday.
Regarding the use of anti-HIV drugs combination to treat Italian nationals in Jaipur, Dr Singh said that there is no certainty whether in that. “It may have worked with some patients but it may not work on others,” said the WHO regional director.
On Thursday, the Health Ministry said that authorities in Jaipur have taken a call locally to use a combination of Lopinavir/Rotinavir, the second line anti-HIV medication to treat the Italian couple admitted at Sawai Man Singh Hospital.
“This line of treatment has been adopted before in China and Thailand. But there is no conclusive report on whether this treatment works,” Dr Singh added.
There are 11 countries in the south-east Asia region, which has 25 percent of the world population. The WHO expects more cases from this region because of the high population, Dr Singh said.
Like Health Ministry, Dr Singh, too, said that India has so far not seen any community transmission, however, she cautioned that India should be prepared for it.
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