No Ebola cases in India; 62 hospitals identified for treatment: minister

No case of Ebola virus disease has been reported in the country so far even as the government has identified 62 hospitals across the country for treatment of the disease in case of an emergency, health minister J P Nadda informed the Rajya Sabha today. 

The Authority for Ebola Virus Disease in India has identified 62 hospitals across 36 states and union territories in the country for treatment of possible cases of Ebola Virus infection, Nadda stated in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.   

He said the government has taken a series of measures to prevent entry of Ebola virus disease into the country and to contain it rapidly, if a case is reported. There is screening of passengers coming from affected countries at international airports and major ports.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme  (ISDP) is tracking such passengers arriving from affected countries or having history of contact with a suspect or confirmed Ebola case. Two laboratories, namely, National Institute of Virology, Pune and National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi are testing clinical samples of high risk passengers. 

State governments have identified isolation facilities. Training for master trainers and rapid response teams of the states/ union territories have been accomplished. Personal protective equipments have been provided to the states / union territories, he said.  

Ebola virus disease is detected through laboratory tests, namely Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the health minister stated in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.   

The list of hospitals identified by the health authorities of the various states / union territories for treatment of Ebola virus disease is as follows: