India Sars patient sent home

India Sars patient sent home

The patient was quarantined in hospital

The first Indian patient to be diagnosed with the deadly Sars pneumonia virus has been discharged from hospital.

The patient had been confirmed as suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) on Thursday and had been placed in quarantine.

But he has now been released since he is no longer carrying the infectious virus, doctors say.

Until now, India has escaped the mystery virus first detected in Hong Kong last month.

It has claimed the lives of more than 150 people since and affected 3,000 people in more than 20 countries around the world.

Positive test

The victim is said to have arrived in the western Indian state of Goa earlier this month after touring Hong Kong and Singapore.

The virus has caused alarm across Asia

On Thursday the National Institute of Virology in Pune, the main testing centre in India, confirmed he had the virus.

He was immediately readmitted to hospital but has now been sent home where he is to remain under "voluntary isolation".

"He is not a threat to others," Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told a news conference.

A doctor attending the patient told the AFP news agency that he was fine and "keeping well".

Criticism

Soon after the outbreak of the mystery virus, the Indian media criticised the government for taking the danger lightly.

Media reports at the time said passengers arriving at Indian airports from affected countries were poorly screened for the virus.

Since then, the government has set up special counters at airports manned by doctors to screen travellers.