A suspected case of Ebola in New Delhi has put on alert health authorities in the city, which receives a large number of passengers from West African countries, the ground-zero of Ebola outbreak. Officials, however, pointed out that surveillance and screening of passengers at the international airport in Shamshabad has been strengthened.
In fact, it is now mandatory for travellers from West African countries reaching the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to submit for testing and collection of serum samples. All contact details, including addresses of their friends and relatives in Hyderabad, are being collected for future reference by a screening team of doctors stationed at the airport.
Special thermal scanners have been put up to detect passengers who are sick and suffer from high temperatures. Health officials said trained health care workers capable of detecting elevated body temperatures are manning the screening counters.
Not foolproofDoctors, however, acknowledge that airport-screening is not 100 per cent foolproof because the incubation period for Ebola virus to display symptoms is between three and 21 days. Travellers not having fever, or any other Ebola symptoms at the airport, can develop symptoms later on.
“For their own safety and as responsible citizens, travellers with Ebola symptoms have to contact local health officials immediately. Persons with a history of frequent travel to West African countries, especially Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone should be careful,” said Ebola co-ordinator and professor at Osmania Medical College K. Subhakar.
Health officials said Gandhi Hospital had already been chosen as the nodal hospital for Ebola patients. Last week, speci-alists from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), New Delhi inspected the facilities there and had reportedly given their approval.
Dr.Subhakar cautioned people flying to and from West African countries to be more careful about health and hygiene.
