India Enhances Ebola Readiness Amidst WHO Health Emergency Declaration

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has asked all states and Union territories to step up surveillance, hospital preparedness and screening of international travellers following the WHO's declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

In a letter to chief secretaries and administrators of UTs on May 21, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said countries bordering DRC and Uganda, including South Sudan, have been assessed to be 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 said.

The ministry directed states to strengthen surveillance under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) for unusual clusters of cases showing symptoms suggestive of Ebola disease, particularly among people with recent travel history to affected areas.

The symptoms listed in the advisory include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, rash and red eyes.

States have also been asked to identify designated isolation facilities and dedicated ambulances, ensure availability of trained healthcare personnel, personal protective equipment (PPE), logistics, laboratory support and critical care capacities.

The ministry said ICMR's National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is fully equipped to test samples from suspected Ebola cases detected either at points of entry or in the community, and additional ICMR network laboratories would be strengthened depending on the evolving situation.

The advisory stressed coordination among airport and port health authorities, state and district surveillance units and other agencies for prompt 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, and those with symptoms suggestive of Ebola will be shifted to designated isolation facilities for testing and treatment.

The SOP also provides for 21-day monitoring of travellers from affected regions and lays down 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.