What health checks?

More cases of swine flu are being reported in India, despite the elaborate efforts of the health ministry to conduct health checks at airports. If you are boarding an international flight headed for India, you would be impressed with India’s preparedness — passengers are handed out a form from the health ministry even before a flight departs; the form has a brief questionnaire on whether you have visited countries which have been affected by the flu, come in contact with patients, etc. Passengers might think that they would be subjected to a health check-up when they arrive and submit the forms. But all that the health officials do is put a stamp on the form and allow passengers to proceed for immigration. More than the health officials, it is the sight of the mask-wearing immigration officials (you don’t see them even in the US) that suggests India is on high alert.