Ebola outbreak: India puts airport on high alert

The continuing spread of the Ebola virus outbreak has forced India’s government to put all airports on high alert. This decision comes after The World Health Organisation declared the Ebola outbreak to be a public health emergency.

“There is no cause for panic. We have put in operation the most advanced surveillance and tracking systems,” said India’s Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. Since March, the Ebola outbreak has recorded 1711 cases and 951 deaths in West Africa. Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea and Liberia have been hit worst by the deadly disease.

Ebola, whose symptoms include muscle pain, sudden fever, vomiting followed by internal and external bleeding, has no cure and can lead to death.

All passengers coming in India from the four Ebola-hit countries will have fill a special form to indicate where they’ve come from, the duration of the stay and a checklist of symptoms they may have. The database will then help to track people who may later develop the symptoms.

There are estimated 47,000 Indians in the three West African countries, and the Indian missions are trying to contact and alert them about the disease through educational material.

Author Profile

India Writes Network: India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.