Coronavirus detection efforts underway in Banglabandha land port

Amid fears of the Coronavirus breakout in China, the health department of Panchagarh has begun activity to detect any carriers of the virus at Banglabandha Land Port in Tentulia upazila.

The district health department has installed a medical team at the port as per instructions of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said Panchagarh’s Civil Surgeon Dr Md Fazlur Rahman.

Not equipped with a virus scanner, two health workers -- a community healthcare provider and a health assistant -- have been measuring the temperature of travellers with a thermometer since yesterday, our Thakurgaon correspondent reported.  

If they identify a suspicious case, they will collect blood samples from the person and send them to Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), the civil surgeon said.

“We observe the temperature and respiratory function of the travellers. We have been instructed that if we find patients with high temperature and abnormal breathing, we will have to inform to higher authorities,” said community healthcare provider Jahirul Islam, who was examining travelers at the port.

The health department will continue detection activities of coronavirus until they get further direction from the DGHS.

Nearly 500-100 travellers use the land port to travel to India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, said Tentulia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Masudul Haque.