Quarantined Indian's samples found negative for Ebola; 117 under observation Saturday, November 22, 2014, 22:58 [IST]
New Delhi, Nov 22: The Indian man, who had travelled to Liberia and
got infected with Ebola but cured, continues to be symptom free and his
tests for the killer virus have been found negative, an official
statement said Saturday.
"The 26-year-old male, Indian, who had undergone Ebola treatment in
Liberia, is presently quarantined at Airport Health Organization
Quarantine Centre, New Delhi," the statement said.
Indian man tests negative for Ebola
"His urine and saliva samples were tested at National Centre for Disease
Control Nov 21 and have been found negative for Ebola Virus," it added.
Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary Lov Verma held a video
conference with principal secretaries, health, of states and union
territories to discuss measures against the disease.
"The need to strengthen surveillance at ports and airports was
emphasized. States were informed that central teams would again be
visiting designated ports and airports to review the passenger
screening," the statement added.
Kerala Keeps Strict Vigil on Ebola, 117 Under Observation
Keeping a strict vigil on the people arriving in Thiruvananthapuram from
Ebola-hit regions, Kerala has kept under observation as many as 117
passengers arriving in Thiruvananthapuram from deadly virus-hit African
nations.
According to state Health Department officials, 680 incoming passengers,
who arrived at various airports and seaports in the state from
Ebola-hit regions, have been examined since August 12.
Of them, 563 were confirmed as "not infected" after 30 days observation
and the rest 117 were under observation, said Amar Fettle, the state
nodal officer for Ebola screening.
"We have screened passengers who arrived from African countries like
Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Though Nigeria has now been
taken off the surveillance list, we continue to examine those coming
from there also. So far, no positive case has been reported anywhere in
the state," Mr Fettle told PTI.
Detailing Kerala's preparedness to tackle Ebola, he said the state has
already put in place a strong surveillance network at airports and
seaports.
"We have basic isolation care units at all three airports. Besides this,
tertiary care units have also been set up at medical college and
general hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kottayam and Kozhikode.
We also have home-surveillance system to monitor the persons under
observation," he said.
The health department's rapid response teams were also ready to tackle
all emergency situations, the officer said.
The deadly Ebola virus has claimed a large number of lives in Africa and
in some other parts of the world.
Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/india/quarantined-indian-s-samples-found-negative-ebola-117-under-observation-1569871.html