AIR SUVIDHA 2.0: India makes health self-declaration mandatory for international travellers to screen Ebola

As health authorities continue to track the Ebola outbreak in Africa, India has launched AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 to bolster its surveillance system in this regard. On Thursday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced a contactless digital platform that requires all international arrivals to fill out a health self-declaration form online before boarding.

"Ministry of Civil Aviation & DIAL Launch AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Portal for Ebola Health Screening at Points of Entry (PoEs) in India," the Ministry wrote in a statement issued on Thursday. "Developed in Collaboration with DGHS, AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Enables Real-Time Coordination Among Health, Immigration and Surveillance Agencies for Early Detection of At-Risk Travellers."

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"Upgraded AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Introduces Fully Contactless and Paperless Health Self-Declaration for International Arrivals. International Travellers Can Submit Health Self-Declaration up to 24 Hours Before Arrival Through AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 for Faster Immigration Clearance," it furthered.

The announcement came right after the World Health Organisation decided to classify this outbreak in central Africa as a global health emergency. The portal, which was launched on June 25, applies to all passengers flying into India from any country around the world.

What the former entails

It is pertinent to note that this self-declaration form is available at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in and has to be filled within 24 hours of the start of the journey. Passengers are advised to complete filling the form during web check-in to speed uo the arrival process.

The form in question covers three things: a 21-day travel history, any known exposure to Ebola-affected areas, and the presence of symptoms such as fever, body aches or bleeding.

Upon arrival, the passengers will only need to show the downloaded form at the International Travel Health Desk or immigration counter; no physical paperwork needs to be filled out at the airport.

The portal will share data in real-time with airport health officers, immigration officials and state health surveillance teams, allowing authorities to identify and respond to at-risk travellers without physical contact. The measures are being taken to ensure that the virus does not spread to the world's most populous country.