Surveillance and precautionary measures against the Ebola virus were stepped up at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Friday, just hours after similar preventive steps were introduced at Cochin International Airport in Kerala’s Kochi.
Notably, Ebola is a deadly viral disease that spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. It can lead to severe bleeding and multiple organ failure.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the outbreak in central Africa is “spreading rapidly”, making efforts to control a rare strain of the virus more difficult, as there is no approved treatment or vaccine available.
Delhi airport steps up Ebola surveillance
- IGI Airport in the national capital has implemented precautionary arrangements amid growing concern worldwide over Ebola cases reported in some African regions.
- The Airport Public Health Officer (APHO) chaired a meeting involving all stakeholders, including the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Customs officials, airlines, and Ground Handling Agencies (GHAs), to brief them on directions issued by the ministry and make them aware of the situation.Authorities have also introduced several operational steps to improve screening and response measures.
- Tensa barriers have been installed to organise passenger movement from thermal screening areas at international arrival sections, HT has learnt.
- Advisories have also been circulated through social media following instructions from the ministry of health and family welfare. Directions issued by the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) have also been passed on to airlines to ensure they are followed properly.
- The move comes after monitoring measures were strengthened at the airport in Kochi as well. A spokesperson for Cochin International Airport Limited told news agency PTI that a 24-hour surveillance system had now been introduced as part of efforts to identify possible symptoms at an early stage and improve coordinated public health response efforts.
- Passengers arriving from countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan would be placed under special health monitoring following global alerts linked to Ebola outbreaks, authorities said.
The Ebola outbreak
The virus passes from wild animals such as fruit bats, porcupines, and non-human primates to humans.
It then spreads through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected individuals. Contaminated items, including bedding and clothing, can also transmit the infection.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola linked to the ongoing outbreak.
Until now, 82 cases have been confirmed in Congo, including seven confirmed deaths, 177 suspected deaths, and nearly 750 suspected cases.
The situation in Uganda remains stable, with two confirmed cases involving people who had travelled from the DRC, one of them fatal, Who chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.