Ahmedabad: Gujarat has quarantined four people, including a businessman who recently arrived from Africa, as a precautionary measure amid Ebola outbreaks reported in Uganda and Congo.
State Health Minister Praful Pansheriya confirmed the development on Wednesday, stressing that no Ebola case has been confirmed in Gujarat or India.
The businessman, 37-year-old Amori Lokola, arrived in Mumbai five to seven days ago before travelling to Vadodara, where he developed a fever and was admitted to Banker Hospital. He was subsequently shifted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, which has set up a dedicated Ebola isolation ward.
Two of Lokola’s travel companions, Patrick Kaja and Valentin Jodel, have been admitted to separate isolation wards at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad. A doctor who treated them, Dr. Sunil Musana, has also been quarantined as a precaution.
“No confirmation has been received yet, so there is no need to panic. It has not been confirmed that this is a case of Ebola virus,” Minister Pansheriya said.
Blood samples from the patients have been sent to Pune for testing. All four are reported to be stable and under medical supervision. The quarantine period is expected to last 10 to 11 days.
The Minister noted that a similar precautionary quarantine was conducted earlier, with samples returning negative.