Swine flu scare hits Google Hyderabad office

Google India closed its Hyderabad centre on Wednesday after one of its employees tested positive for the H1N1 (swine flu) virus strain. The effort was to ensure that other employees do not contract the virus.

In a press release, Google stated that it closed the office for two days as a precautionary measure and for sanitising all the common areas.

There are about 250 employees working in the centre here and 95 of them came to the Chest Hospital here on Tuesday to undergo the test. Of these, seven employees had symptoms of swine flu and were quarantined.

The Google employee was one among seven cases who tested positive yesterday. All the seven contracted the virus from a staffer who flew to Hyderabad from Houston on July 5.

The Google employee, who met the Houston-returned staffer, got admitted at the Chest hospital on July 12 and tested positive on July 13, according K Subhakar, the coordinator, Swine Flu Nodal Center in Hyderabad.

Business Standard and Agencies

Following this, Subhakar asked the Google office to check if the employee (who met the one who came from Houston) came to office. On being told he attended the office, the hospital authorities asked Google to screen his close contacts and send them to Chest Hospital for testing.

Of the 250 employees in this particular office of Google, 95 were sent to the AP General and Chest Hospital on Tuesday to undergo the swine flu test. Of these, seven employees showed swine flu symptoms and were quarantined even as Google office shut its office for two days for its premises to be sanitised.

Meanwhile, three people including a 35-year-old woman who travelled from Florida [ Images ] on July 12, a 29-year software professional who came from Sydney and a 28-year businessman who went to Thailand tested positive for swine flu on Tuesday to take the total to 34 in Hyderabad. The results of 21 more suspect cases are awaited.

The total number of swine flu cases in Hyderabad has mounted with three more passengers returning from abroad testing positive.

Subhakar said that a 35-year-old woman coming from Florida has tested positive for AH1N1 virus. The other two are a couple of 28-year-old passengers from Sydney and Thailand, he said.

They have been admitted to the Quarantine ward at the Government Chest Hospital. It has come close on the heel of 8 people including seven workers of different IT companies including Google were found to be suffering from Swine Flu.

A 2-year-old boy, whose family had returned from Dubai was also admitted to hospital after he was diagnosed suffering from the virus.

Since May 16 a total of 34 people tested positive for the virus and 21 of them have been admitted and discharged. Apart from the 13 swine flu cases under treatment at Quarantine ward, 22 other suspected cases were also admitted to the different hospitals including special wards in Kondapur and Vanasthalipuram hospitals in the city.

Till now all the swabs were being sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi but now authorities have started testing them at the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Hyderabad. "Samples will be tested simultaneously at both the places for ten days for cross checking. After that independent testing at IPM will start." Subhakar said.