Sudanese man under Ebola surveillance at Hyderabad hospital

Hyderabad: A 35-year-old Sudanese national was admitted to Gandhi Hospital on Thursday after being suspected of carrying the Ebola virus. The patient, who had travelled to Hyderabad on a medical visa for knee surgery, was identified during health screening at the city’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA).

According to hospital authorities, the traveller was shifted to the hospital for further evaluation after recording a temperature of 100°F during thermal screening at the airport. Since his travel history revealed that he had flown into Hyderabad via Ethiopia and had visited Uganda and South Sudan in the last 21 days, he was placed under Ebola surveillance protocols.

“The traveller landed at RGIA at midnight. He is suspected of having contracted the Ebola virus because of his travel history and fever. However, he has not reported any known contact with an Ebola patient,” said the Airport Public Health Officer (APHO).

Doctors at Gandhi Hospital said the traveller did not exhibit any other symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, such as vomiting, bleeding or abdominal pain. He only complained of having had a fever for the last four days. “However, his temperature was normal when it was checked after he arrived at the hospital around 3.30 am on Thursday,” said Dr Vamshee Krishna, nodal officer for Gandhi Hospital’s isolation ward.

As part of protocol, his blood, urine and swab samples have been collected and sent to the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) for testing.

“The reports are expected within two days. If the test is negative, he may be advised to undergo home isolation and monitoring. If the result is positive, further treatment protocols will be followed,” said Dr N Vani, superintendent, Gandhi Hospital.

Meanwhile, the APHO said fellow passengers have been identified and informed to monitor themselves for symptoms while health authorities continue to assess the case. Officials also said the traveller had minimal interaction with other passengers during the journey.

“The traveller had an entire row to himself as the flight was largely empty. We still screened the other passengers after they landed here. The traveller who was sent to Gandhi Hospital had also travelled directly to Hyderabad without any stopover elsewhere in India,” the APHO added.