Suspected Ebola case triggers health alert in Bengaluru

A suspected Ebola case triggered a health alert in Bengaluru after a 28-year-old woman from Uganda, who developed mild symptoms including body ache, was shifted from a hotel to the State-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital on Tuesday.

Bengaluru District Surgeon and Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Anil Kumar Banagar, said the woman had recently travelled from Uganda to Ahmedabad and had later arrived in Bengaluru.

Although she did not show symptoms during airport screening, health authorities continued to monitor her because of her travel history from an Ebola-affected region.

“The District Surveillance team and airport health officials were tracking her condition. She developed a mild body ache nearly 24 hours later, following which samples were collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune,” Dr. Banagar told The Hindu.

He said the woman was stable and had not developed any additional symptoms so far.

Test reports

“The test reports are expected in a day or two. Even if the result is negative, as per protocol, a repeat test will be conducted after 48 hours of observation. She will be discharged only after testing negative twice,” he said.

Amid the Ebola alert, Karnataka’s Health Department has designated specialised isolation, quarantine and treatment facilities at government hospitals in Bengaluru and Mangaluru as part of precautionary preparedness measures.

In Bengaluru, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases has been identified as the isolation centre, while Epidemic Diseases Hospital has been designated as the quarantine and treatment facility.

In Mangaluru, Srinivas Port Hospital under the New Mangalore Port Authority has been identified as the quarantine centre, while Wenlock District Hospital has been designated as the isolation and treatment centre.

The preparedness measures follow directions issued by the Union Health Ministry asking all States and Union Territories to strengthen surveillance, hospital preparedness, and rapid response systems.

The World Health Organisation had recently declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (PHEIC).