Hyderabad: Three suspected cases of Ebola virus disease have been reported in India in last two days, prompting health authorities to adopt precautionary protocols while awaiting laboratory confirmation.
One of the cases was detected in Jaipur, and two in Hyderabad.
A woman from Uganda, who landed in Jaipur from Sharjah on an Air Arabia flight, was admitted to RUHS Hospital and placed in full isolation after being found with symptoms consistent with Ebola disease during screening at the airport.
RUHS Hospital Superintendent Dr Anil Gupta said that the woman is showing symptoms that resemble the disease, but a definitive diagnosis can’t be made until the test report is available. She is being monitored under established infectious disease protocols, and her samples have been sent for detailed examination.
In Hyderabad, a Sudanese student in his twenties was admitted to the Gandhi Hospital with similar symptoms. He was first taken to a private healthcare facility on Thursday and later referred to the state hospital after he developed fever.
He was put in an isolation ward, and his condition has improved. His attendant has been advised to stay in home isolation as a precaution until test results are available.
Another Sudanese national was admitted to the Gandhi Hospital after being flagged during thermal screening at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. The 35-year-old man, who had arrived in the Telangana capital for knee surgery, was found to be running a high temperature.
He, too was shifted to the hospital’s isolation facility and kept under observation as his samples were sent for testing. According to health authorities, he is currently asymptomatic and fever-free.
Ever since the Ebola outbreak — caused by the Bundibugyo virus — hit parts of Central and East Africa, and the World Health Organization declared it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, India has been extremely vigilant.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and aviation authorities have issued directives for enhanced screening of passengers arriving from or transiting through high-risk countries, including Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
