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Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda reviewed the preparedness and response measures for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in view of the recent outbreaks reported in parts of Africa.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), while the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has declared it a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS). No cases of Ebola have been reported in the country yet. The review meeting was attended by the Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Director General, ICMR, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Additional Secretary (Public Health), Director, NCDC, and other senior officials of the Ministry. In light of the reported outbreaks of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the World Health Organisation (WHO), under the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005, on May 17, determined the situation to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has also officially declared the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo strain Ebola virus disease affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS). Further, the WHO IHR Emergency Committee on May 22 issued temporary recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance at Points of Entry to "detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection" while also "discouraging travel to areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection". As per the press release, countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, including South Sudan, are assessed to be at high risk of disease transmission. Ebola disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by infection with the Bundibugyo virus strain of Ebola virus. It is a serious disease with a high mortality rate. At present, no vaccines or specific treatments have been approved to prevent or treat Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain. (ANI)
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