Health authorities in Chhattisgarh's Durg district have intensified surveillance measures after three individuals returned from African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, officials said on Thursday.
District Collector Abhijit Singh said the three returnees, who recently arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Uganda, have been placed under 21-day home isolation as a precautionary measure. He emphasised that no Ebola infection has been detected so far.
According to officials, a woman arrived in Durg from the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 31, while two other individuals reached neighbouring Bhilai on June 2 after travelling from Ethiopia and Uganda. Two of the returnees are Indian nationals, while the third is a Ugandan citizen.
The district administration has put the health department on alert and initiated close monitoring of the three individuals. Officials are conducting telephonic follow-ups twice a day to track their health status.
Also read: Jharkhand on alert after Centre issues Ebola advisory
“Information regarding their health status is being collected every morning and evening,” Singh said. He added that the individuals have been advised to immediately inform health authorities, contact tracing teams or the district control room if they experience any symptoms or discomfort.
The precautionary measures come after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17. Following the declaration, the Centre directed all states and Union Territories to strengthen surveillance of travellers arriving from affected countries.
In a separate development, a foreign national with a travel history linked to Ebola-affected regions was identified during screening at Hyderabad's Shamshabad Airport. The passenger was immediately shifted to an isolation ward at Gandhi Hospital, where samples were collected and sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) for testing.
Officials said surveillance and monitoring mechanisms have been activated in accordance with central guidelines to prevent any possible spread of the infection.
Authorities have urged the public not to panic, maintaining that no Ebola case has been reported in the district and that all necessary precautionary measures are being taken.
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