The Uttarakhand medical and health department has been put on an alert to deal with the Ebola disease. The health department of the State is keeping a vigil on 15 people who have arrived in the State from the West African countries affected by the outbreak of Ebola.
The Director General of Health services, Dr G S Joshi said that the people who are visiting the country from the Ebola affected countries are categorised into three categories. In the first category those coming from these countries but were not in contact with the Ebola patients are kept while in second category people who were in touch with such patients but showed no symptoms of the disease are kept and in the third category people who were in touch with Ebola patients and are showing symptoms of the disease are kept. He informed that 14 people of category I are reported in the state while one in category II is reported. Dr Joshi said that people are being kept under supervision so that in case of symptomatic signs they could be kept in isolation.
He informed that a thirty year woman has returned from USA to Rishikesh and as she has revealed that being a medical worker she took the sample of his superior who was found positive of Ebola she is kept in category II.
Dr Joshi said that the disease is highly contagious and could pose a serious challenge to the health services of the country if the virus makes it way in the country. The West African counties of Guinea, Sierra leone and liberia are primarily affected by the Ebola virus. On October 10 the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced Nigeria free form the Ebola virus transmission.
The symptoms of Ebola are consistent fever, sore throat, muscular pain, headache followed by vomiting and diarrhea. The patient suffers from decreased functioning of lever and kidneys and internal and external bleeding which proves fatal. The disease is transmitted by the exposure with the body fluids of the person who in infected with the disease.