New Delhi: India has announced steps to screen and track passengers coming in from Ebola virus hit west African countries. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday that all precautions were being taken, “while the risk of Ebola virus cases in India is low, preparedness measures are in place to deal with any case of the virus imported to Indiaâ€.
There are close to 45,000 Indians in the affected countries. If the situation worsens in these countries, there could be possibility of Indians who are staying there travelling back to India, Vardhan informed the Parliament.
WHO has reported 1603 cases, including 887 deaths, till August 4 in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The number of cases is 485, 468, 646 and four from these countries respectively and the corresponding death toll is 358, 255, 273 and 1 respectively.
Mandatory self-reporting by the passengers coming from or transiting through the affected countries would be required at immigration check, Vardhan said, adding in-flight announcements regarding this would also be made by the airlines.
“There would be designated facilities at the relevant airports/ports to manage travellers manifesting symptoms of the disease. The surveillance system would be geared up to track these travellers for four weeks and to detect them early, in case they develop symptoms,” he said.
Vardhan said the risk of transmission of the virus to countries outside African region is “low” but “we would obtain details of travellers originating or transiting through affected countries to India and tracking these persons after their arrival up to their final destination”.
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