JAIPUR: A day after BJP MLA from Jalore, Amrita Meghwal , tested positive for swine flu , fear of infection gripped the state assembly on Wednesday. Health authorities were summoned in the morning to collect swab samples of 15 MLAs for testing for swine flu.A total of 17 MLAs had opted for swine flu testing. Among them, two MLAs had given their swab samples on Tuesday itself. A team headed by Jaipur’s chief medical health officer Dr Narottam Sharma collected the swab samples.While reviewing the disease, additional chief secretary health Veenu Gupta held a meeting with senior health department officials and instructed them to take proper measures to prevent the spread of swine flu and other seasonal diseases, even as opposition leader Rameshwar Dudi said the state government has failed miserably in checking the spread of swine flu.In August last year, a BJP MLA from Mandalgarh in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district — Kirti Kumari — had died of swine flu.‘Health teams screen MLA residence, nearby houses’Meghwal was attending the assembly when she learnt of being infected with the disease. This worried her fellow legislators, who feared of having contracted the flu, arising from an earlier interaction with Meghwal. Thereafter, 15 MLAs volunteered to get themselves checked.Sagwara MLA Anita Katara, who sits next to Meghwal, said, “The health officials have advised me to take medicines (Tamiflu). Though I don’t have any symptoms, I’ve been taking the medicines as a precautionary measure since Tuesday and also gave my swab sample for testing.” Katara also lives next to Meghwal’s residence in Jyoti Nagar Health minister Kalicharan Saraf said, “Today, health authorities collected swab samples of 15 MLAs from the assembly. MLAs who were sitting near her and those who were in contact with her were tested for swine flu. Also, health teams were sent to the residence of the MLA and conducted screening of nearby houses,” Saraf told TOI.According to the health department authorities, Meghwal is staying at her Jaipur residence in Jyoti Nagar to attend ongoing assembly session. She came to Jaipur on February 2 from Jalore. On February 6, her motherin-law was admitted to a private hospital in the city for treatment as she was suffering from some disease. She was discharged from the hospital on February 8. Meghwal had gone to meet her motherin-law in the private hospital on February 8, where a swine flu patient was also undergoing treatment. Health authorities suspect that she might have contracted the infection from the hospital. However, on February 19, Meghwal had taken an acquaintance to the hospital to get the latter tested for swine flu. At that time, she also decided to get herself tested, as she was suffering from cough and sore throat. Meghwal’s reports came positive.

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