India has reported its first suspected case of Ebola
Medical professionals in India have identified the first suspected case of Ebola. A 28-year-old woman who had recently returned from Uganda was admitted to a hospital in Bangalore.
According to local authorities, the woman’s symptoms appeared after she arrived in India.
The patient is currently in quarantine under constant medical supervision.
The Indian Ministry of Health reported that the woman’s condition is stable, and samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology for analysis.
However, authorities emphasize that the case has not yet been officially confirmed as Ebola.
Test results are expected within the next few days.
Anul Kumar Banagar, medical director of the state hospital for infectious diseases, stated:
“The district surveillance team and airport health officials have been monitoring her condition. After nearly 24 hours, she developed mild body aches, following which samples were collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.”
According to him, even if the test result is negative, the patient will remain under observation.
“Test results are expected in a day or two. Even if the result is negative, according to protocol, a repeat test will be conducted after 48 hours of observation. She will be discharged only after two negative tests,” the doctor explained.
The report of a possible Ebola case came just a day after Indian Health Minister Jagat Prakash Naddha stated that no cases of the virus had been recorded in the country during the current outbreak.
The current outbreak of Bundibugyo fever has hit Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo the hardest.
The World Health Organization has declared the situation a “public health emergency of international concern.”
According to the WHO, the average Ebola fatality rate is about 50%, and during various outbreaks, the fatality rate has ranged from 25% to 90%.
Due to the threat of the virus spreading, India has stepped up medical monitoring and screening, Rwanda and South Sudan have been placed on high alert, and a number of countries worldwide have introduced additional checks for travelers from regions of Africa where the outbreak has been reported.
Indian authorities are urging citizens not to panic and not to spread misinformation about the virus situation.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 200 people may have already died as a result of the Ebola outbreak. The situation is complicated by attacks on medical facilities and violence in the eastern regions of the country, which are hindering efforts to combat the infection.
Earlier reports indicated that the 17th Ebola outbreak had been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, claiming the lives of 80 people. This time, the disease was likely caused by the little-studied Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain, rather than the more common Zaire ebolavirus.
Three Red Cross volunteers have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after contracting the Ebola virus. They were working in the city of Mongbwalu, which is now considered the epicenter of the outbreak. It is believed that the infection may have occurred even before the spread of the virus was officially detected.
