As the Hong Kong-Delhi flight prepared to land, I was apprehensive about the screening for swine flu. But all that happened was that I was asked to fill up a form, and no one checked if I was stating the truth.

Hong Kong newspapers had reported last Friday that a 25-year-old Mexican visitor had tested positive for the influenza A/H1N1. It led to a series of emergency measures by Hong Kong authorities, including the immediate quarantine of everybody in the hotel where the visitor was staying.