Ebola scare hits Guwahati, Mumbai GUWAHATI/MUMBAI, AUG 11 (AGENCIES) :Published on 12 Aug. 2014 1:19 AM IST Assam government’s health department went into a tizzy on Sunday over a Nigerian national’s recent entry to Guwahati close on the heels of World Health Organization declaring the outbreak of Ebola virus as an international health emergency. Nigeria is one of the countries where the deadly virus has already advanced. The haemorrhagic virus has so far killed nearly 1,000 people, mostly in the African countries, the highest recorded so far, said a report by the Assam Tribune. The Nigerian national is reported to be a professional football player and was on contract with a city-based club. Eight other persons, including seven Nigerian footballers have been put under surveillance. The other is a relative of a city-based family. A global alert has been sounded after the Ebola virus killed hundreds, mostly in the African countries. Going a step further, the Health Department has also established contacts with all the top clubs of the State who are presently on contract with Nigerian players and a team of health experts and professionals have been engaged to verify their travel history. Partha Jyoti Gogoi, Senior Regional Director, Directorate of Health Services, Government of India, told The Assam Tribune that he had personally visited some of the clubs in Guwahati and apprised the members about the threat. “All these persons will be put under surveillance for the next 21 days under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme,” said Dr Gogoi, who is also the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. He said that steps are also being taken to verify if there was any such entry into the State. “Although no symptom of the virus has been detected, we have decided to keep them under surveillance till the next 21 days,” Dr Gogoi said. The Nigerian players are on contract with Green Valley Club, Sunrise Club, Gauhati Town Club and Dynamo Club. Mumbai man suspected A Mumbai man is suspected to be infected with the deadly Ebola vius. This suspect was in Nigeria for some work and had returned to Mumbai from West Africa after the Ebola outbreak. But when he returned to India, he began experiencing EVD symptoms like body pains and diarrhoea. Since he was aware of the symptoms, he got in touch with the Health Department. Only after the check-up will the doctor be able to say whether he has contracted the disease. Meanwhile, the government on Sunday said India was on a high alert for the Ebola virus even as it denied reports that a Chennai resident had been afflicted with it.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 05:25:55 +0000
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