Bengal's first Ebola suspect admitted to hospital

Bengal's first Ebola suspect, 25-year old Aleek Das, was admitted to Raiganj district hospital on Sunday with symptoms high fever, muscle pain and vomiting.

Bengal's first Ebola suspect, 25-year old Aleek Das, was admitted to Raiganj district hospital on Sunday with symptoms high fever, muscle pain and vomiting.

He was quarantined in a ward. Das's blood sample was sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune.

"He has been kept in an isolation ward for round the clock observation. He recently travelled to Nigeria. We have sent his blood sample to NIV, Pune that is the country's nodal centre for Ebola confirmation," said BR Satpathy, director of health services of the state.

Satpathy also said there is no need for panic. "We will keep him under observation for 21 days," Satpathy added.

Das came back from Nigeria where he used to work.

He is a resident of Karandighi.

Though health officials refused to confirm, HT has learnt that six others have travelled to Bengal from Nigeria with Das. They stay in the same area as Das, but none of them has been traced.

It is also not known whether any of them are displaying the same symptoms as Das.

Till Friday NIV, Pune received seven samples of suspected Ebola virus from Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. All have tested negative so far.

Bengal health department officials said, if Das tests positive, he will be removed to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital where a separate specialised ward for the treatment of Ebola patients has been opened.

The other specialised centre for treatment in Bengal is the hospital for infectious diseases at Beliaghata, Kolkata.

Nigeria is one of the Ebola affected countries. The disease has already cosumed more than 1,000 lives.

It has a mortality rate of 90%. The disease leads to multi-organ failure.