Andhra Pradesh on high alert over Ebola virus; screening intensified
Vijayawada, June 9
In view of the global concerns over the spread of the Ebola virus, the Andhra Pradesh government has stepped up precautionary measures across the state.
Dr Sujana of GGH Vijayawada hospital said that special surveillance is being carried out on passengers arriving from foreign countries, and screening tests are being conducted at Gannavaram Airport.
She said that screening procedures have been in place for the past 20 days for all international passengers arriving at the airport. Particularly, passengers arriving from Singapore to Gannavaram Airport are being screened three times a week -- on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
"Today, screening tests were conducted for 127 passengers who arrived from Singapore," she added.
Dr. Sujana also mentioned that, "Special screening tests were conducted for Haj pilgrims who arrived at Gannavaram Airport last week, including during afternoon and midnight hours. So far, no Ebola-related symptoms have been detected among any of the screened passengers."
She further stated that quarantine rooms have been kept ready to isolate anyone showing suspected symptoms, if required.
Ebola Disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by infection with the Bundibugyo virus strain of Ebola Virus. It is a serious disease with a high mortality rate. At present, no vaccines or specific treatments have been approved to prevent or treat Ebola Disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain.
The Central Government has advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
In light of the reported outbreaks of Ebola Disease in Congo and Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO), under the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005, on May 17, 2026, determined the situation to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has also officially declared the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo strain Ebola Virus Disease affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS).
Further, the WHO IHR Emergency Committee on May 22 issued temporary recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance at Points of Entry to "detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection" while also "discouraging travel to areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection".
Countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, including South Sudan, are assessed to be at high risk of disease transmission.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally some good news from our state! After all the cyclone and flood issues, at least health dept is on alert. Hope they maintain this vigilance for Ebola as it's highly dangerous.
This is welcome but we need to ensure our hospitals have proper isolation facilities. Many government hospitals lack basic infrastructure. Hope they walk the talk on quarantine rooms. 😕
My brother is working in Uganda and he says people there are scared. I'm relieved AP is doing screening. The govt should also provide health advisories in Telugu for villagers who may not follow international news. 🙏
As an expat living in Vizag, I'm glad to see such systematic screening. India's experience with COVID should help them handle this better. But please extend screening to all international arrivals, not just selective flights.
Strong move by Andhra govt! But I wonder if our small airports like Gannavaram have the capacity to handle large-scale screening. Need more investment in health infrastructure at ports of entry.
Appreciate the efforts but why only now? WHO declared PHEIC on May 17 - we are late by almost a month. Better late than never though. Hope other states also follow AP's lead.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.