From correspondents in Delhi, India, 01:03 PM IST

With swine flu fast spreading in many countries, India has decided to set up special counters at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here to screen all passengers, officials said Wednesday.

'All international passengers are being screened. The government has set up six special counters at the airport and every passenger arriving here from abroad is being checked by a team of doctors,' a spokesperson for the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which runs the IGI Airport, told IANS.

DIAL officials said passengers are being screened especially those coming from Mexico, Canada and the US, the countries affected by swine flu.

The ministry of civil aviation in a statement said it had directed all international airports across India to step up surveillance and screen passengers, particularly those coming from affected countries like Mexico, Canada and the US.

'The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been directed to set up facilities for screening of international passengers and crew arriving from affected countries. These screening stations are to be manned by medical and para-medical personnel provided by the ministry of health,' a ministry statement said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)