Ebola virus scare in Bengaluru: Uganda woman found symptomatic, hospitalised

With the Ebola outbreak hitting parts of Africa and causing widespread unease across the globe, a 28-year-old woman from Uganda, who had started showing mild symptoms that were linked to Ebola, was admitted to the state run Epidemiological Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday, health officials said. She is reportedly from an Ebola affected belt before she reached Karnataka. Earlier she complained of body ache, and she was moved from a hotel to the medical facility as a precaution, authorities added. Her samples have also been dispatched to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing, and a second round of testing will be carried out as per the usual health protocol.

What Happened Here?

According to PTI report, Officials with the Karnataka health department say the woman is ‘stable’ and is being watched very closely. Health workers are monitoring her status 24 hours a day , until the lab reports come back. Isolation was decided because she had recently visited an Ebola hit area and the development of mild symptoms, officials said. ‘She was admitted to the Epidemic Diseases Hospital as a precaution, and was being monitored and further evaluated there’, a senior health official said. Authorities have also begun monitoring procedures to track and monitor any potential contacts should they be necessary.

Ebola Outbreak: Karnataka Health Department Advisory

The development occurs days after the World Health Organization on May 17 declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’. Reacting to this, the Karnataka Health Department recently issued an advisory, mandating that people who have returned from the affected African countries must have health monitoring and self observation for a period of 21 days. The department asked passengers to go ahead and immediately notify the nearest health care provider if any of these symptoms are noticed: fever, body ache, tiredness, bleeding. The Rapid Response Teams have been mobilized as well all across the state to help with watchfulness and emergency preparedness, in a sort of extra layer of readiness.

What Are The Measures Being Taken In Karnataka?

Several facilities have been designated by the Karnataka government to take care of suspected Ebola cases. The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases has been declared as the isolation hospital in Bengaluru and the new treatment and quarantine hospital at the Epidemic Diseases Hospital will be used. The Srinivas Port Hospital in Mangaluru, under the New Mangaluru Port Authority has been identified as the quarantine centre and Wenlock District Hospital as the designated isolation and treatment centre in the city. The state will continue to closely monitor, screen and respond to potential cases of the deadly virus, the officials said.

Also Read: Couple Held In Mass Wedding Fraud After 42 Grooms Waited For Brides Who Never Came