A man from Congo and three others who came into contact with him have been placed in isolation in Ahmedabad, with samples sent for Ebola testing, Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya announced on Wednesday.
Enhanced Screening at Airports
This development follows the Gujarat government's decision to intensify screening of passengers arriving from Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan at Ahmedabad International Airport, in response to the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, particularly Congo. According to the Centre’s Standard Operating Procedure, intensive screening of flyers from affected countries is underway at the airport.
Minister Pansheriya had earlier chaired a review meeting on preparedness measures in the state. While no Ebola case has been reported in India so far, the Gujarat health department has established special isolation beds at hospitals in Ahmedabad and Surat as a precautionary measure. Health authorities confirmed that passengers arriving from affected African countries are being closely monitored.
Negative Tests Elsewhere
Earlier in the day, a 28-year-old woman from Bengaluru who arrived from Uganda and was suspected of showing Ebola-like symptoms tested negative, Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said. In Telangana, Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha stated on Tuesday that there was no need for panic, adding that no Ebola case or suspected symptomatic patient had been identified in the state so far.
WHO Declares Public Health Emergency
The World Health Organisation has described the current outbreak as the third-largest outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain on record and declared it a public health emergency of international concern.
“The Government of India is closely monitoring the evolving Ebola virus disease situation in view of recent outbreaks reported in parts of Africa,” the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement on Wednesday.
