A 28 year old woman from Uganda who was isolated at a government hospital in Bengaluru after developing a mild body ache days after arriving in India has tested negative for Ebola, officials said.
The woman, who landed at Kempegowda International Airport on May 23 after travelling from Uganda through Ahmedabad, was moved to the State run Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Indiranagar after officials tracking passengers from Ebola affected regions detected signs of fatigue and later recorded mild symptoms.
The Union ministry of health and family welfare said on Wednesday that no Ebola Virus Disease case had been confirmed in India and that the traveller remained stable.
“The Government of India is closely monitoring the evolving Ebola Virus Disease situation in view of recent outbreaks reported in parts of Africa,” the ministry said in a statement.
Officials said samples collected from the woman were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for testing.
Bengaluru District Surgeon and Medical Superintendent of the Epidemic Diseases Hospital, Anil Kumar, said the woman had not shown symptoms during airport screening but continued to remain under watch because of her travel history.
{{/usCountry}}Bengaluru District Surgeon and Medical Superintendent of the Epidemic Diseases Hospital, Anil Kumar, said the woman had not shown symptoms during airport screening but continued to remain under watch because of her travel history.
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The official said the woman had not developed any additional symptoms and remained under observation. A repeat test after 48 hours of observation will also take place as an additional precautionary measure.
According to health department officials, the woman had initially checked into a hotel after arriving in Bengaluru before she was shifted to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
The Centre said surveillance and screening operations were continuing at designated entry points and across the public health system in coordination with the Karnataka government and other agencies, following World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
Amid the alert, Karnataka’s Health Department has identified dedicated quarantine, isolation and treatment facilities in Bengaluru and Mangaluru.
In Bengaluru, the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases has been designated as the isolation centre, while the Epidemic Diseases Hospital will function as the quarantine and treatment facility. In Mangaluru, Srinivas Port Hospital under the New Mangalore Port Authority has been identified as the quarantine centre and Wenlock District Hospital as the isolation and treatment facility.
The measures follow directions issued by the Union Health Ministry asking States and Union Territories to strengthen surveillance, hospital preparedness and rapid response systems.
The WHO recently classified the Ebola outbreaks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”.