Ebola screening begins at Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada airports; no case found so far

Health screening for Ebola has begun astatine the Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada airports and the Visakhapatnam seaport, aft the Andhra Pradesh authorities issued an alert connected the dispersed of the microorganism successful respective African countries. No lawsuit has been recovered truthful far.

The Visakhapatnam territory medication has activated exigency measures, and incoming travellers and seamen are being checked, too astatine the Government infirmary here.

District officials person started reappraisal meetings to measure preparedness astatine the terminals and coordinate screening betwixt the wellness and aviation departments.

The medication is focusing connected travellers who person a caller past of overseas travel. Health and acquisition authorities person prepared a database of travellers from the listed countries.

Representatives of Andhra University and GITAM (Deemed to beryllium University) said astir 100 caller admissions from African nations were expected for the world twelvemonth opening successful June. Authorities are monitoring the accomplishment schedules, since galore travellers, including residents, tourists and students, are expected.

Isolation ward

The medication has acceptable up a 30-bed isolation ward astatine the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases present for immoderate emergency.

Sunil Kumar, Superintendent of the thorax infirmary and nodal serviceman for Ebola, told The Hindu connected Tuesday (May 26, 2026) that a 30-bed quarantine ward had been acceptable up for Ebola cases astatine the hospital. No lawsuit had travel successful for screening truthful far, helium said.

“We volition surface lone radical who person a question past to the African countries. This means they person to spell determination and travel backmost here,” helium said. The admittance of students was a abstracted category, helium added. Mr. Sunil said radical were sorted into categories A, B, and C for screening. “As per the DMHO orders and the database they send, we surface them present and corroborate the effect aft thorough laboratory tests, arsenic per WHO protocols,” helium said.

Surveillance is besides being maintained connected connecting flights. Travellers from Singapore, oregon connected connecting home flights from hubs specified arsenic Hyderabad and Bengaluru, are being checked connected reaching Visakhapatnam truthful that nary suspected lawsuit is missed.

Ebola usually has an acute onset, the main signs being cold, sore throat, precocious fever, chills, terrible assemblage aches and headaches. If unchecked, the information tin worsen quickly, which makes aboriginal detection astatine transit points important for containment and care, Mr. Sunil said.

The territory wellness medication is pursuing 5 protocols

Screening is focused connected radical with a documented question past to the affected African countries, and their departure and instrumentality dates are verified.

Incoming passengers and students are sorted into hazard groups, Categories A, B and C, by vulnerability and exposure.

Any traveller who shows symptoms astatine the airdrome oregon seaport is shifted to isolation astatine the 30-bed thorax infirmary ward.

Blood samples from suspected cases are collected by the King George Hospital virology laboratory and sent to Pune for confirmation.

All procedures, isolation orders and last confirmations travel World Health Organisation protocols and the directions of the District Medical and Health Officer.