India has quarantined a 28-year-old Ugandan woman in Bengaluru on suspicion of Ebola infection, according to a health ministry source.
The woman has since tested negative for the virus, the ministry confirmed, though it did not say whether she would be released from isolation.
If the result had come back positive, it would have marked India’s first Ebola case since 2014.
The traveller arrived in the southern tech hub from Ahmedabad, having originally journeyed from Uganda.
Dr Anil Kumar Banagar, medical superintendent at the hospital where she was isolated, said she did not show symptoms and was quarantined purely as a precaution, though the ministry noted she had suffered mild body ache.
Test results have now cleared her of the virus.
A Nation On Alert: Airports, Advisories, And A Postponed Summit
Indian authorities have moved swiftly regardless of the negative result.
Screening and surveillance measures are now active at airports and other major entry points across the country.
Official advisories covering screening procedures, quarantine protocols, and containment best practices have been issued to relevant authorities.
Citizens have been urged to avoid all non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, the three nations currently bearing the brunt of the outbreak.
The negative test result came a day after Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda chaired a meeting to review India’s preparedness to tackle the disease.
The India-Africa Forum Summit, scheduled for this week in New Delhi, has meanwhile been postponed over public health concerns emanating from Africa, reflecting just how seriously the government is treating the situation.
The Bundibugyo Strain: A Virus With No Approved Cure
The World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
The strain involved, Bundibugyo, has produced over 101 confirmed cases from more than 900 globally suspected infections.
No approved vaccine or treatment currently exists for this strain, making rapid containment the only available line of defence.
For a densely populated country like India, with its vast network of international air connections, even a suspected case could cause a nightmare for the entire nation, hence, demanding an airtight response.
The quarantined woman has tested negative; her release from isolation is yet to be confirmed.
(with input from Reuters)
