Hyderabad, June 5 (IANS) Another Sudanese national has been shifted to an isolation centre in Hyderabad over suspected Ebola symptoms. The individual, who arrived at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), has been shifted to the isolation centre at Gandhi Hospital, officials said on Friday.

The Sudanese national is pursuing his higher studies at a private university in Hyderabad.

His contact has also been isolated at Gandhi Hospital for screening. He is the second Sudanese national to be isolated for suspected Ebola symptoms.

Health authorities also sent his contact to the government-run hospital as a precautionary measure. He was sent to Gandhi Hospital after being flagged during thermal screening at the airport. He was found to have a body temperature of 100 degrees F and was shifted to the designated nodal centre for observation and testing due to his travel history from a high-risk country.

According to doctors, he is presently under observation in the isolation ward.

Dr Vamshee Krishna, nodal officer for the isolation ward at the Gandhi Hospital, said samples were sent to government-designated laboratories for testing. However, the traveller was not found to have symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhoea commonly associated with Ebola.

According to doctors, his blood, urine and swab samples have been sent to laboratories. The reports are expected within two days.

Doctors said that if the tests are negative, he may be advised to undergo home isolation and monitoring. In case of a positive result, treatment will start as per protocol.

Gandhi Hospital has already been designated as a nodal centre for Ebola preparedness. It has established a dedicated ward with 10 fully isolated rooms, each with an attached bathroom.

The hospital has also arranged 15 quarantine beds. Special screening and thermal scanning are active at RGIA for travellers from African countries, including Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

A dedicated team of doctors, health inspectors, field staff and paramedics has been deployed to monitor arrivals at the airport.

Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha had stated earlier this week that 58 travellers from Ebola-affected countries had arrived in Hyderabad. None had shown symptoms of the disease, and all were placed under Category-I surveillance and 21-day home isolation as a precautionary measure.

–IANS

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