Ebola outbreak: Delhi Airport issues advisory for passengers coming from African countries

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday issued an advisory on the Ebola virus for travellers coming from countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

The advisory has urged passengers who suffer from symptoms like fever, weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, sore throat, or unusual bleeding to contact the airport's health desk immediately.

Additionally, individuals who suspect they may have come into contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an Ebola-infected person are advised to inform health authorities before immigration clearance.

"The health department also stated that if such symptoms develop within 21 days of travel, passengers should seek immediate medical assistance and share their travel history. Travellers have also been requested to cooperate with health screenings and safety measures at the airport," it added.

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No Ebola cases in India

The Centre has said no cases of Ebola have been reported in India, stressing that the current risk to the country remains “minimal,” even as surveillance and preparedness measures have been stepped up following the World Health Organisation declaration of the outbreak in parts of Central Africa as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, along with teams from the National Centre for Disease Control, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and Indian Council of Medical Research, reviewed the evolving Ebola situation linked to the Bundibugyo virus strain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

"The government continues to maintain close coordination with international health authorities and will take all necessary measures to safeguard public health," an official told NDTV.

Ebola risk is high regionally

The risk from a deadly Ebola outbreak is high in central Africa but remains low globally, the World Health Organisation said Wednesday, adding that the virus had likely been spreading for months.

Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the past half-century, and the UN health agency has declared the latest surge an international health emergency.

The 17th Ebola outbreak to hit the DRC is already suspected of having caused 139 deaths from around 600 probable cases.

"We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

With inputs from agencies