AP To Initiate Steps To Contain Spread Of Ebola Virus

The Andhra Pradesh government would initiate preventive steps to contain the present spread of Ebola virus in the state.

Additional director to the National Centre for Disease Control Dr Himanshu Chauhan and joint director Dr Shubha Garg held a video conference from New Delhi on Thursday on the implementation of guidelines issued by the Union health ministry.

AP health secretary Veerapandian informed the meeting that the health staff was getting set to take up screening of air passengers suspected of having Ebola symptoms at Vijayawada, Bhogapuram and Tirupati airports. Arrangements have also been made to conduct medical tests on passengers at ports in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Nellore.

He also said isolation wards have been arranged in select hospitals and mock drills would be conducted to check the preparedness at state and district levels on November 12.

Senior NCDC health officials suggested taking up health tests and a check of the past 21 days’ travel history of passengers coming from the Ebola-affected nations. It is also recommended to make those having no symptoms to remain in home isolation. Those infected with the Ebola virus and those having direct contact with the infected persons could be kept under medical supervision for 21 days.

They suggested shifting the suspected cases to isolation wards in hospitals in special ambulances.

The samples of suspected cases of Ebola could be tested at NIV Pune and in Andhra Medical College’s viral research and diagnostic lab, Visakhapatnam; the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences’ viral, research and diagnostic lab in Tirupati; and in the government-run Siddhartha Medical College’s lab in Vijayawada, the officials said.

Health secretary G. Veerapandian and health commissioner Chakradhar Babu said they have arranged 46 beds, 3,288 PPE kits, 104 sample collection kits and five ambulances ready to handle Ebola in the state.