Ebola Scare Reaches Delhi: Man Tests Positive

BENGALURU: India is alarmed as a 26-year-old Indian who was treated and cured of Ebola virus disease in Liberia was quarantined at the Delhi airport's health facility after having tested positive twice.

The man was being kept under strict surveillance at the isolation ward of Indira Gandhi International Airport's (IGI) health facility. He carries a certificate from Liberia of having successfully undergone treatment for the disease. Though his blood samples were repeatedly found free of the deadly virus, it showed up in his semen.

A senior official said that, “The 26-year-old carried a certificate of medical clearance from the ministry of health and social welfare, government of Liberia which says he has 'successfully undergone care and treatment related to Ebola Virus Disease and after post treatment assessment he has been declared free of any clinical signs and symptoms and confirmed negative by laboratory analysis.’”

In a report to TOI, Dr. Katoch, DG, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said, "During recovery from Ebola, patients continue to shed the virus in body fluids. It's unlikely that he may infect others through personal contact. However, due to presence of the virus in his semen, it's possible that he could transmit the disease through sexual contact for up to 90 days after cure."

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