Ebola Virus – is Government of India prepared?

Anyone seen the 1995 thriller “Outbreak”?

Here is the brief description of the movie.

… The film focuses on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus called Motaba in Zaire and later in a small town in the United States. Its primary settings are government disease control centers USAMRIID and the CDC, and the fictional town of Cedar Creek, California. Outbreak's plot speculates how far military and civilian agencies might go to contain the spread of a deadly contagion. …

Life seems to be imitating art in an eerie manner. More than the Gaza and Ukraine crisis, the events in western Africa have got everyone’s attention as it brings back the memories and horrors of the great plague that ravaged the Europe in medieval times. The epidemic of “Ebola virus” has currently gripped everyone with fear.

The deadly killer – Ebola virus

The key facts of Ebola virus:

Key facts Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%. EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.

For more information, please click here, or, here, or, this link.

The virus has already claimed more than 500 lives. The doctors and health care workers treating the patients have themselves become infected with virus.

In order to imagine what kind of nightmare this epidemic is, please read this article.

…… EXCLUSIVE: NHS doctor tells of his hell on Ebola ward in Sierra Leone An NHS doctor has urged the world to wake up to the growing threat of Ebola after risking his life working 24-hour hospital shifts trying to save pregnant women struck down by the disease. Benjamin Black, who gave up his job in London to volunteer in Sierra Leone, told Metro that doctors were struggling to cope with the overwhelming pressure….. He told Metro: ‘It’s a major concern, what might happen in the rest of the world. ‘The main challenge here, though, is that the health authorities just don’t have the infrastructure to cope. ‘They’re overwhelmed.’ In Liberia, American Kent Brantly, one of many doctors to have caught the disease, is fighting for his life. ……..

The epidemic has grown to such frightening proportions, even the Liberian government seems to have thrown in the towel in its fight against the Virus.

From CBS   Liberian Official: Ebola Outbreak ‘Is Above The Control Of The National Government’ CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CBS Charlotte/AP) — A Liberian health official says the Ebola outbreak is now above the control of its government. “Our government has declared this now as a humanitarian crisis that is above the control of the national government,” Tolbert Nyenswah, Liberia’s assistant minister of health, told CBS News. More than 700 people have died in four western African nations during the largest Ebola outbreak ever, with over 320 known cases in Liberia alone. One American died while contracting the virus in Liberia. Two other American medical missionary workers also contracted Ebola. “This virus, if it is not taken care of, will be a global pandemic,” Nyenswah told CBS News, calling for more international aid to help treat the sick and stop the spreading of the disease. …

But the most pressing concern here is to make sure that it does not cross the continents – a threat weighing heavily on the minds of world government.  The virus is just one flight away in gaining a foothold on other continents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has upgraded its traveladvisory to Level 3 alert.

… As West Africa Ebola outbreak worsens, CDC issues Level 3 Travel Warning The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued a warning to avoid nonessential travel to the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This Level 3 travel warning is a reflection of the worsening Ebola outbreak in this region. … In addition to warning travelers to avoid going to the region, CDC is also assisting with active screening and education efforts on the ground in West Africa to prevent sick travelers from getting on planes. On the remote possibility that they do, CDC has protocols in place to protect against further spread of disease. These include notification to CDC of ill passengers on a plane before arrival, investigation of ill travelers, and, if necessary, quarantine. CDC also provides guidance to airlines for managing ill passengers and crew and for disinfecting aircraft. Earlier this week, CDC issued a Health Alert Notice reminding U.S. healthcare workers of the importance of taking steps to prevent the spread of this virus, how to test and isolate suspected patients and how they can protect themselves from infection. ….

This brings me to following questions.

1. What steps government of India has taken to screen passengers arriving from Africa – especially from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia?

2. Have any quarantine facilities been setup on the airport and in hospitals to diagnose suspected cases?

3. Do we have medical expertise to deal with this type of epidemic?

Since the incubation period for the virus is anywhere from 6-10 days, even a perfectly normal passenger could also be a potential carrier. The Indian government should, therefore, seriously consider not only screening everyone coming from western Africa but also banning flights as long as the epidemic is ranging.

Because, God Forbid, if it ever finds a foothold on Indian continent, the catastrophe would be of unimaginable magnitude given the huge population and unsanitary conditions along with low level of education among masses.