No Ebola cases reported in India yet; government ramps up surveillance after WHO alert

The government on Wednesday stated that no cases of Ebola have been reported in the nation to this point, in line with sources cited by ANI.The ministry of well being and household welfare stated that no case of Ebola has been detected in India to this point, whereas including that surveillance and preparedness measures have been strengthened nationwide following the WHO’s declaration of Ebola as a public well being emergency of worldwide concern.A high-level overview assembly chaired by union well being secretary Punya Salila Srivastava was held with well being secretaries of all states and Union Territories to evaluate preparedness and response measures associated to Ebola Virus Illness (EVD).Throughout the assembly, states and Union Territories had been suggested to take care of preparedness in any respect ranges. The Centre stated detailed Commonplace Working Procedures (SOPs) protecting pre-arrival and post-arrival screening, quarantine protocols, case administration, referral programs and laboratory testing have already been shared with all states and UTs.Srivastava pressured the necessity for coordinated surveillance, well timed reporting and preparedness at designated healthcare services through the overview assembly. The government stated all involved ministries and departments have been sensitised and are finishing up preventive and surveillance measures in coordination with the well being ministry.The ministry additionally famous that India has prior expertise in dealing with such conditions, together with through the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa, when comparable precautionary measures had been applied efficiently.The Ebola virus is very contagious and spreads by means of contact with bodily fluids similar to blood, vomit and semen. Frequent signs embrace fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle ache and, in extreme cases, inner and exterior bleeding.WHO has declared the outbreak a Public Well being Emergency of Worldwide Concern and raised issues over its “scale and pace.” The WHO’s consultant in Congo has warned that the outbreak may proceed for a minimum of one other two months.Well being officers stated the outbreak entails the uncommon Bundibugyo pressure of Ebola, which reportedly unfold undetected for weeks after preliminary exams for a extra frequent Ebola pressure returned damaging outcomes.Investigations are nonetheless underway to find out when and the place the outbreak started. “Given the dimensions, we’re considering that it has began in all probability a few months in the past,” stated Anaïs Legand, a technical officer in the WHO emergencies programme, as cited by AP.To this point 51 cases have been confirmed in Congo’s northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, together with two confirmed cases in Uganda. As well as, authorities are monitoring 139 suspected deaths and almost 600 suspected cases linked to the outbreak.