3,000 'harmful' H1N1 masks seized in Daman

Over 3,000 unauthorised masks have been seized from different medical stores in Daman during a drive to check their illegal sale in view of swine flu scare.

"The mask used for prevention of the viral disease were being sold at high rate in those stores," officials said.

The masks were sub-standard and harmful, they said.

"The health department raided 16 stores and recovered 3,000 fake masks after it received complaints regarding their selling at different places in Dadar Nagar Haveli," Chief Medical Officer L N Patra said, adding the unauthorised masks were being sold at a price as high as Rs 90-100 instead of Rs 4.50 per mask.

Patra said the health department possesses 10,000 masks along with 300 personal protection kits and medicines. He said that in the last nine days, 9,000 people were tested for swine flu symptom but not a single case was found to be positive.