RANCHI: The Jharkhand health department has placed the Santhal Pargana division on high alert and intensified surveillance along border areas following reports of an Ebola outbreak in Bangladesh that has allegedly killed over 500 children.
Ranchi: With Bangladesh facing a deadly Ebola outbreak that has already killed over 500 children, the Jharkhand health department has been put on high alert and has increased health surveillance, particularly in the districts falling under the Santhal Pargana division.
Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari has directed RIMS and Sadar Hospital in Ranchi to remain prepared to treat Ebola.
Ansari stated that a review meeting was held to address the matter. RIMS and Sadar Hospital have been instructed to keep a certain number of beds vacant so that treatment can be initiated immediately if any suspected Ebola case arrives.
He further informed that a special six-bed isolation ward has been set up and kept ready at RIMS.
Meanwhile, the health department has launched a special awareness campaign on measles in Santhal Pargana and issued directives to health officials to ensure any potential situation is handled promptly.
District immunisation officer Dr KK Singh said that following the surge in measles cases in Bangladesh, health infrastructure and systems have been strengthened across Santhal Pargana’s Dumka, Deoghar, Godda, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Pakur districts.
Special vigil is being maintained, particularly in border areas, given the frequent movement of people across these regions, he said.
Singh further added that efforts are underway to strengthen surveillance in bordering districts. Sahibganj and Pakur, located in the Santhal Pargana region, lie close to the India-Bangladesh border, while Deoghar, the divisional headquarters, witnesses heavy daily foot traffic. In view of the situation, the health department is also preparing to establish medical camps at bus stands, railway stations and the airport, he said.
He, however, clarified that no positive cases of measles have been reported in Deoghar till now.
Nevertheless, the department has intensified surveillance efforts, and arrangements have been put in place to ensure immediate hospitalisation and treatment for anyone showing symptoms.