Dr Astitatava Purukayastha, a 42-year-old scientist from Kolkata who returned home from a visit to China, had to be rushed to a nursing home on April 20 for a cardiac problem. While being treated at a nursing home, he was also diagnosed to have a respiratory track infection and pneumonia and was shifted to the National Medical College, Kolkata.
The details of his case have been listed by the health ministry in the document giving details of positive, negative or suspected SARS cases. But Director General Health Services Dr S P Agarwal revealed his case only after being prompted by the media persons knowing about it from other sources.
"No blood, urine or sputum samples have been taken from him. He does not come under the WHO definition of SARS. We are not even considering him a suspect," Dr S P Agarwal said. However, what prompts the ministry to list Dr Purukayastha's name in the list containing names of SARS suspects remains unexplained.
Meanwhile, test conducted by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases on the 34-year-old SARS suspect admitted to Safdarjang Hospital in New Delhi have turned out to be negative. The man had been discharged a few days back. The five persons who had close contact with the SARS-positive Pravin Varde of Goa have also been declared as SARS-negative, according to the DGHS.
But the results of the NICD tests of the Chinese woman admitted to Infectious Diseases Hospital in Delhi are still awaited. So are the test results of the suspected case from Nashik.
The DGHS added the blood, urine and sputum samples of the suspected case from Jaipur, who is under observation in a Jaipur hospital have been received by the NICD on Wednesday.
Since, the case of the Chinese woman is yet to be confirmed it raises reasonable concern that any of her co-passengers might be infected if she tests positive. "The airport authorities have begun contact tracing," the DGHS said.
Currently India has four positive cases of SARS. Three of them, the D'Silvas from Pune, are being treated at Naidu Hospital, Pune, while Pravin Varde from Goa has been discharged from the hospital. "He is afebrile (no fever) and improving," the DGHS added.
To take stock of the situation and decide on a future course of action, Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold a meeting of the state health secretaries, central officials in Delhi on Thursday. The latest worldwide toll from SARS is 228 dead and 3947 infected in 28 countries.