A 28-year-old Ugandan woman has been isolated at a government hospital in Bengaluru after developing mild body aches days after her arrival in India, prompting precautionary measures to monitor Ebola while health authorities await laboratory test results.
The woman, who landed at Kempegowda International Airport on May 23 after traveling from Uganda via Ahmedabad, was shifted to the state-run Epidemic Hospital in Indiranagar after officials tracking passengers from Ebola-affected areas detected signs of fatigue and later recorded mild symptoms.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday that no case of Ebola virus disease has been confirmed in India and the traveler remained stable.
“The Government of India is closely monitoring the evolving Ebola virus disease situation in light of the recent outbreaks reported in parts of Africa,” the ministry said in a statement.
The samples collected from the woman have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for testing, officials said. The results are expected to appear within the next two days.
Anil Kumar, Bengaluru district surgeon and medical superintendent of the Epidemic Diseases Hospital, said the woman did not show symptoms during airport screening but remained under observation due to her travel history.
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“She developed mild body pain, following which the samples were collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune,” the official said.
He said that the woman did not show any additional symptoms and remained under observation, adding that the protocol requires repeating the test after 48 hours of observation.
According to health ministry officials, the woman initially checked into a hotel after arriving in Bengaluru before being taken to hospital as a precaution.
Ritvik Ranganam Pandey, principal secretary of the Karnataka Health Department, said officials were still assessing the nature of her symptoms.
He added: “At this stage, there is no clarity on whether the symptoms are related to Ebola. Since she appeared fatigued during the examination, health officials at the airport decided to send her samples for examination.”
The Center said surveillance and screening operations are continuing at designated entry points and across the public health system in coordination with the Karnataka government and other agencies, following WHO guidelines.
Amid the alert, the Karnataka health department has identified designated quarantine, isolation and treatment facilities in Bengaluru and Mangaluru.
In Bengaluru, the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases has been designated as an isolation centre, while the Epidemic Diseases Hospital will serve as a quarantine and treatment facility. In Mangaluru, New Mangalore Port Authority’s Srinivas Port Hospital has been identified as a quarantine center and Wenlock District Hospital as an isolation and treatment facility.
These measures follow directives issued by the Union Health Ministry asking states and union territories to strengthen surveillance, hospital preparedness and rapid response systems.
The World Health Organization recently classified the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a “public health emergency of international concern.”
