Another Sudanese national isolated at Hyderabad hospital over suspected Ebola symptoms
Hyderabad, June 5
Another Sudanese national has been shifted to an isolation centre in Hyderabad over suspected Ebola symptoms. The individual, who arrived at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, has been shifted to the isolation centre at Gandhi Hospital, officials said on Friday.
The Sudanese national is pursuing his higher studies at a private university in Hyderabad.
His contact has also been isolated at Gandhi Hospital for screening. He is the second Sudanese national to be isolated for suspected Ebola symptoms.
Health authorities also sent his contact to the government-run hospital as a precautionary measure. He was sent to Gandhi Hospital after being flagged during thermal screening at the airport. He was found to have a body temperature of 100 degrees F and was shifted to the designated nodal centre for observation and testing due to his travel history from a high-risk country.
According to doctors, he is presently under observation in the isolation ward.
Dr Vamshee Krishna, nodal officer for the isolation ward at the Gandhi Hospital, said samples were sent to government-designated laboratories for testing. However, the traveller was not found to have symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhoea commonly associated with Ebola.
According to doctors, his blood, urine and swab samples have been sent to laboratories. The reports are expected within two days.
Doctors said that if the tests are negative, he may be advised to undergo home isolation and monitoring. In case of a positive result, treatment will start as per protocol.
Gandhi Hospital has already been designated as a nodal centre for Ebola preparedness. It has established a dedicated ward with 10 fully isolated rooms, each with an attached bathroom.
The hospital has also arranged 15 quarantine beds. Special screening and thermal scanning are active at RGIA for travellers from African countries, including Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.
A dedicated team of doctors, health inspectors, field staff and paramedics has been deployed to monitor arrivals at the airport.
Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha had stated earlier this week that 58 travellers from Ebola-affected countries had arrived in Hyderabad. None had shown symptoms of the disease, and all were placed under Category-I surveillance and 21-day home isolation as a precautionary measure.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is the second case in a short time. While I appreciate the precautions, I wonder if we need to temporarily restrict travel from high-risk countries for a while, like we did during COVID. Better safe than sorry, yaar.
As someone who travels internationally for work, I'm glad India has such thorough screening protocols. The 21-day home isolation and Category-I surveillance seem very robust. Let's hope this turns out to be a false alarm.
Arre, these poor students already have so much stress with studies, and now this. Hope the hospital staff treats them with dignity and not make them feel like pariahs. Mental health matters too.
I'm impressed that Gandhi Hospital has 10 fully isolated rooms and 15 quarantine beds already prepared. This is the kind of preparedness we need. But I do have one concern - are they properly training staff on Ebola protocols? COVID taught us that training is key.
Respect to the health workers who are on the frontlines dealing with this. Hope the student is comfortable in isolation and gets proper care. Ebola is scary, but with early detection and proper protocols, outcomes are much better.
The government's approach seems well-planned - thermal scanning, isolation, testing at designated labs
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