KARACHI, March 18: Pakistan authorities are chalking out a contingency plan to prevent the outbreak or any possible impact of atypical pneumonia that has been registered in certain parts of the world.

Dr Ather Said Dil, Executive Director of National Institute of Health, Islamabad, told APP here on Tuesday that ‘early warning system’ was being activated at all ports of entry to ensure a strict check and early detection.

“There is no need to be panicked. However, since the disease is air-borne, more stress is on preventive aspects,” he said.

After necessary consultations, a circular containing warning may also be dispatched to Pakistani missions abroad, he added.

Dr Dil said that the missions might be expected to see that intending travellers to Pakistan, if found carrying symptoms of atypical pneumonia, were requested to put off their visit till getting fully well.

The World Health Organization has already issued an emergency travel advisory urging airlines to pinpoint passengers/crew suffering from fever higher than 38 degrees, cough, shortness of breath or difficult breathing.

It would be pertinent to mention that the WHO’s list of afflicted countries has identified Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Dr Dil agreed to the suggestion that the disease-affected passengers be denied boarding and referred for diagnosis and treatment.

He pointed out that the National Institute of Health also had an efficient network of Viral Transport Medium (VTM) for prompt assessment of reports dispatched to it from any part of the country.

The WHO has indicated that atypical pneumonia did not show the classic signs of the disease. The organization has named it as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and warned that the disease had become a ‘global health threat’ with cases already reported from Europe, North America and several far east countries.

The advisory has told all the countries to watch out for patients and the people who had come in close contact with SARS victims or travelled recently to the identified countries.

The fast-spreading mysterious form of pneumonia is registered to be linked to nine deaths and some 500 infections worldwide.—APP