The Union Health Ministry has directed all States and Union Territories to strengthen surveillance, hospital preparedness and screening of international travellers after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
In a letter sent to Chief Secretaries and UT administrators on May 21, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava noted that countries bordering the DRC and Uganda, including South Sudan, have been assessed as being at high risk of disease transmission.
“While the current assessment indicates that the risk to countries outside the affected African region remains low, the substantial quantum of international trade and travel underscores the importance of maintaining adequate preparedness and response capacities at all levels of the health system,” the letter stated.
The ministry asked States to intensify surveillance under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) to detect unusual clusters of cases showing symptoms consistent with Ebola, particularly among individuals with recent travel history to affected regions.
The advisory listed symptoms such as fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, rash and red eyes.
States have also been instructed to identify designated isolation facilities and dedicated ambulances, while ensuring the availability of trained healthcare personnel, personal protective equipment (PPE), logistics support, laboratory infrastructure and critical care facilities.
The ministry said the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is fully equipped to test samples from suspected Ebola cases identified either at points of entry or within the community. It added that more ICMR network laboratories would be strengthened depending on how the situation evolves.
The advisory emphasised close coordination among airport and port health authorities, State and district surveillance units, and other agencies to ensure timely information-sharing and follow-up of travellers requiring public health monitoring.
According to the attached Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), passengers arriving from affected countries will undergo thermal screening and health monitoring. Those showing symptoms suggestive of Ebola will be shifted to designated isolation facilities for testing and treatment.
The SOP also mandates 21-day monitoring of travellers arriving from affected regions and outlines detailed protocols for quarantine, infection prevention, laboratory testing, contact tracing and clinical management.
“States and UTs are requested to undertake an immediate review of existing preparedness plans and ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place for timely detection and response to any potential public health event of concern,” the secretary said in the letter.
(With inputs from PTI)