AHMEDABAD: A suspected Ebola case from Congo sent Gujarat’s health machinery into emergency response mode after a 37-year-old man arriving in Vadodara via Mumbai developed cold and cough symptoms, triggering fears of the deadly virus that is currently spreading across several African nations.
The man was initially admitted to a hospital in Vadodara for two days after showing mild symptoms.
But as doctors noticed suspicious signs linked to a possible viral infection, he was immediately shifted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for advanced monitoring and testing.
His samples were collected and rushed for laboratory examination as health officials began tracing everyone who had come in contact with him.
The suspected case instantly set off alarm bells because the Ebola outbreak continues to wreak havoc in African countries, including Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan, where health agencies are battling to contain the highly infectious disease.
As panic began spreading over social media, Gujarat Health Minister Praful Panseria stepped in to calm public fears.
On Thursday, Panseria announced that the suspected patient’s Ebola report had returned negative, making it clear that Gujarat and India currently have no confirmed Ebola cases.
“Citizens should not panic or believe rumors. The suspected patient’s report has come back negative. There is not a single confirmed case of Ebola virus in Gujarat or India at present,” Panseria said, urging people to rely only on official health department updates.
Even before the negative report arrived, authorities had already launched an aggressive containment protocol.
Three people who came in direct contact with the patient including a doctor and two of his friends, were immediately quarantined as a precautionary measure.
To strengthen preparedness further, a separate 30-bed isolation ward has been established at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad specifically for handling suspected Ebola patients in case the situation escalates.
The state’s alert mechanism now extends directly to airports as well.
At Ahmedabad International Airport, intensive screening of passengers arriving from Ebola-affected African nations has been done daily between 6 pm and 10 am.
Officials said the screening drive is focused only on travelers arriving from high-risk countries and ordinary passengers do not need to worry. Meanwhile, India’s aviation and health authorities have tightened national-level protocols amid growing global concern over the Ebola outbreak.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) have imposed strict surveillance measures for incoming international passengers.
Under the new protocol, all international flyers entering Indian airports will be required to fill out Self-Declaration Forms (SDF), allowing authorities to quickly identify and isolate potential high-risk travelers.
Airlines have also been instructed to announce the form-filling process onboard before landing to avoid congestion and reduce infection risks inside terminals.
In a major deployment effort, 24 7 frontline health workers have been stationed in airport arrival zones to monitor incoming passengers and respond rapidly to suspected cases.
Officials also indicated that the government may soon restart the Air Suvidha portal to streamline passenger health screening and tracking.
