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Even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) maintained that the risk of transmission of the Ebola virus disease remained low during air travel, information released by the government revealed that a total of 496 air passengers were being tracked for the disease in India as on August 20.
WHO said the disease could only be transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of a sick person. "On the small chance that someone on the plane is sick with Ebola, the likelihood of other passengers and crew having contact with their body fluids is even smaller. Usually when someone is sick with Ebola, they are so unwell that they cannot travel. WHO is therefore advising against travel bans to and from affected countries," the organisation had said recently.
WHO has urged countries to provide "accurate and relevant information" to those traveling to Ebola-affected countries and adopt measures to reduce the risk of exposure.
A WHO infographic conveying the message that Ebola risk during air travel was low.
Meanwhile, the government said the air passengers were covered under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and that most of the nearly 500 passengers who were being tracked belonged to Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The Health Ministry had also set up a control room on August 9, which had received 619 calls up to August 20, mostly from those seeking information on the disease
The Ebola outbreak is believed to have claimed 1,350 lives as on August 18 in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, according to statistics released by WHO.
Passengers from the Ebola hit countries were being categorised according to the degree of risk:
- High - those with symptoms, to be subjected to medical scrutiny
- Medium - those passengers who had come into contact with a sick person, to be tracked by the IDSP in their respective areas.
- Low - those without symptoms who will be provided with information, to report if symptoms develop.
