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3 min readThiruvanananthapuramUpdated: Jun 18, 2026 12:34 PM IST
Travellers arriving from African nations were advised to strictly follow the prescribed health and safety guidelines. (Express Archive Photo)
A 52-year-old woman from Kerala, who recently travelled from South Sudan, has been admitted to the Medical College Hospital in Kottayam with suspected symptoms of Ebola.
Officials at the medical college said the patient displayed symptoms of Ebola and had a travel history that included Sudan. “Samples have been collected and dispatched for laboratory investigation. We are awaiting the test reports for final confirmation,” an official said.
The woman, who was first treated at a private hospital in Kottayam district’s Pala, was moved to the government medical college on Wednesday night. She had developed a fever, headache, muscle pain and a sore throat.
Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the woman had travelled alone from Sudan to India via Uganda. Her family lives in Pala in the state’s Kottayam district. “We have made all arrangements to meet any eventuality. However, there is no ground for panic at this stage. The woman has been admitted to an isolation room at the medical college,” he said.
India has so far not reported any confirmed cases of Ebola. Last month, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda reviewed preparedness and surveillance measures for Ebola disease in view of the recent outbreak in some parts of Africa.
At the outset, the Union Health Minister said, “India has not reported any case of Bundibugyo Ebola disease to date.” However, following the declaration of Ebola as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by the Africa CDC, the Government of India is closely monitoring the Ebola situation in Africa and has proactively intensified surveillance and preparedness measures across the country as an abundant precaution to safeguard public health, authorities have said.
Subsequently, the Health Ministry has issued a special health alert across the country in response to the Ebola situation in the African nations of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. Travellers arriving from these countries were advised to strictly follow the prescribed health and safety guidelines.
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