Hyderabad, June 5 (UNI) The Telangana Health Department has been put on high alert after the number of suspected Ebola cases at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad rose to two amid heightened surveillance over the spread of the virus in Central African countries.
According to hospital officials, a 36-year-old Sudanese national, identified as Mohammed Yagouch Ahmed, arrived in Hyderabad early on Thursday. During routine medical screening at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, authorities detected symptoms suspected to be linked to the Ebola virus.
The passenger was immediately shifted to Gandhi Hospital and admitted to a special isolation ward for treatment and observation.
Doctors said Ahmed is reportedly a student at an educational institution in Hyderabad. Another individual who came into close contact with him has also been placed under special observation and is undergoing medical tests.
Dr Sunil Kumar, Ebola nodal officer at Gandhi Hospital, said blood samples collected from the patient had been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, for preliminary testing and would subsequently be forwarded to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for confirmation. Final test results are expected within a week.
Health officials stated that all precautionary measures are being taken and a 20-bed special isolation ward has been kept ready at Gandhi Hospital to handle any emergency situation.
Authorities urged the public not to panic but advised people experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe fatigue or bleeding to seek immediate medical attention.
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