Bengaluru was placed on high health alert on Tuesday after a 28-year-old Ugandan woman, who arrived in the city from Kampala, developed mild symptoms suspected to be consistent with Ebola virus disease — marking India's first such scare amid a rapidly escalating global outbreak.
According to the Times of India, the woman arrived in Bengaluru on May 23 from Kampala and had been staying at the Royal Ace Boutique Hotel in the city. After she developed symptoms including body aches, health authorities shifted her from the hotel to the state-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital as a precautionary measure. Her condition is currently described as stable.
According to Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey, principal secretary of the health department, the woman did not show obvious symptoms such as fever. “We are still not sure (of her symptoms). The Airport Health Organisation noticed signs such as fatigue and decided to collect samples,” he said. The samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing.
Health department officials said the woman had initially checked into a hotel after arriving from Uganda, but was later shifted to the state-run hospital after she developed mild symptoms such as body ache.
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Authorities said her condition is currently stable and she is being closely monitored.Officials added that, as per protocol, a repeat test will also be conducted even as they await the first set of reports from NIV Pune.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a serious and fast-spreading Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which the World Health Organisation declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17.
Following the alert, the Karnataka health department on Friday issued an advisory asking people returning from Ebola-affected countries to undergo self-monitoring and health observation for 21 days after arrival.
The department said travellers developing symptoms should immediately report to the nearest health facility, while Rapid Response Teams would carry out surveillance and contact-tracing measures if required.
As part of preparedness measures, Bengaluru's Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases has been identified as the isolation centre, while the Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Indiranagar has been designated as the quarantine and treatment facility.
In Mangaluru, Srinivas Port Hospital under the New Mangalore Port Authority has been identified as the quarantine centre, while Wenlock District Hospital will function as the designated isolation and treatment facility.
Ebola is a severe haemorrhagic fever transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, with symptoms ranging from fever and body aches to vomiting, rashes and organ failure in advanced cases.
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