Isolated Bengaluru patient tests negative for Ebola; no confirmed case in India

NEW DELHI: The test results of a person isolated in Bengaluru, as a precautionary measure, have returned negative for Ebola virus disease, authorities confirmed on Wednesday, adding that there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola in India. The individual had been kept under observation out of abundant caution following suspicion of exposure.

Amidst the recent surge in Ebola virus cases in several parts of Africa, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is closely monitoring the evolving situation, sources said. Exercising abundant caution, one individual with recent travel history from Uganda, who reported mild symptoms of body ache, has been placed under isolation at the State-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru for observation and further evaluation.

The individual is otherwise in a healthy condition till now, apart from a mild bodyache. A sample had been collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for laboratory testing.

The Health Ministry, in coordination with the concerned State authorities, is maintaining close surveillance, and all necessary public health protocols are being followed in accordance with WHO guidelines. At present, no case of Ebola virus disease has been confirmed in India.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO), under the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005, on May 17, determined the situation to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in light of the reported outbreaks of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has also officially declared the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo strain Ebola virus disease affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS).

Further, the WHO IHR Emergency Committee on May 22 issued temporary recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance at Points of Entry to “detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection” while also “discouraging travel to areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection”.

As per the press release, countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, including South Sudan, are assessed to be at high risk of disease transmission.

Ebola disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by infection with the Bundibugyo virus strain of Ebola virus. It is a serious disease with a high mortality rate. At present, no vaccines or specific treatments have been approved to prevent or treat Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain. (ANI)