Swine Flu: H1N1 Scare Hits India As 2 Test Positive At SAP Office In Bengaluru; Staff Asked To Work From Home

SAP, the multinational software corporation, has temporarily closed its offices in Bengaluru, Gurugram and Mumbai after two of its employees tested positive for H1N1 virus. The employees belonged to Bengaluru office of the company. The three offices have been closed for extensive sanitisation, said SAP. The employees based in these locations have been asked to work from home, the German tech giant said in a statement.

"Two SAP India employees based in Bangalore (RMZ Ecoworld office) have tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Detailed contact tracing that the infected colleagues may have come into contact with is underway," SAP India said in statementsent to various media outlets.

It added that as a precautionary measure, all SAP India offices across Bengaluru, Gurugram and Mumbai have been closed for extensive sanitisation.

"All SAP employees based in these locations have been asked to work from home till further notice," the statement said.

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In an internal communication to employees, the company said "considering the situation, we encourage you to work from home beginning February 20 till February 28."

Stating that it is monitoring the situation closely, SAP advised employees to seek medical advice if they or their family members have any symptoms of cold, cough with fever.

"The health of our employees is our priority and it is critical that we provide the current information and guidance to help limit the spread of the H1N1 virus," it added.

According to Times of India, the news spread after RMZ, which operates the business park in which SAP is located in Bengaluru, issued an advisory to all tenants on measures they could take, specifically mentioning SAP's actions. The park's other tenants include Accenture, Honeywell, Danske IT, Shell Technologies, Morgan Stanley, Capgemini and ANZ. The report quoting sources said some of these companies told employees to work from home for the next three days. However, the next three days are holidays for most employees (Mahashivaratri followed by the weekend).

Meanwhile, the Karnataka state health officials said the company’s move is surprising as H1N1 is not a new disease and has been in the air for quite some years.

"Maybe, the company is taking extra precautions as the symptoms and precautions to be taken for H1N1 are similar to COVID-19,” an official was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

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Swine flu is a viral disease that annually hits India during the winter season. The H1N1 swine flu is a highly contagious zoonotic infection and symptoms include fever, chills and sore throat, according to World Health Organisation. According to the WHO, H1N1 symptoms include fever, chills and sore throat and are similar to seasonal influenza but have been characterised by higher fatality rates among healthy young adults and higher incidence of viral pneumonia.

(With PTI inputs)