The Centre has convened a meeting of state health secretaries in New Delhi on Thursday to chalk out a plan to tackle the threat of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Responding to members' queries in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Health Minister Sushma Swaraj said she would meet the health secretaries and discuss if there is a need to issue a red alert to prevent the spread of the respiratory disease.

She said some cases of SARS have been detected in India, but all steps have been taken to contain the problem. Even the World Health Organisation has said India is handling SARS cases efficiently, she said.

She said all passengers coming from abroad are being screened by health officials at airports and passengers found having symptoms of the disease are being quarantined.

They are released only after reports of the samples of urine, blood, sputum and nasal discharge are found negative, she said.

Expressing serious concern over detection of some cases of SARS in India, she said, "The government has taken all effective measures to deal with the situation and it will not be found lacking."

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