Ebola in India: Delhi government directs hospitals to tighten Ebola preparedness

By: Shraddha Rupavate | | Published: October 31, 2014 12:02 pm

A lot has been discussed about India’s preparedness for a possible Ebola emergency. While screening equipment has been set up at international airports and measures have been taken to tackle an emergency, India’s huge population and poor health facilities point out that the nation might not be totally prepared for fighting Ebola. (Read: Ebola in India: Dense population and poor sanitation biggest challenges to tackle Ebola, says Ebola co-discoverer) Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

Also Read - 7 reasons why the #BeefBan is good

Delhi government Thursday reviewed the plan and preparedness for combating Ebola and indicated the need to further strengthen the measures. In a high-level meeting, chief secretary D M Spolia said Delhi being a high transit point, a high level of preparedness should be maintained and all agencies should act in unison and close coordination to combat the disease. In the meeting, principal secretary of health SCL Das informed Spolia about preparations and Dr Pawan Maurity of World Health Organisation (WHO) made a presentation on EVD. Here are some points highlighted in the meeting. (Read: Has the Ebola virus really come to India?) Also Read - Ebola Virus Disease: Some unknown facts associated with it

Hospitals should put in place all required infrastructure like ICU, isolation wards and protective gears for personnel.
Officials should maintain a high level of preparedness and surveillance mechanism should be intensified to detect possible cases.
Hospitals with the capacity of 500 beds should be prepared to provide treatment for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases.
Medical superintendents of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lok Nayak Hospital, which have been identified for treatment of EVD cases if detected, have been directed to impart training to all medical personnel within 15 days.
Hospitals identified for escalation should be made ready by identifying Nodal officers, training of staff and provision of personnel protective equipment.
Hospitals must ensure that there is no crisis of equipment at any cost. If a crisis is identified, they should procure them immediately to meet any medical emergency. (Read: Ebola in India: Is Mumbai ready to handle an Ebola emergency?)

Here are five reasons why Ebola in India is a very scary scenario:

High rate of spread

The virus seems to spread very quickly from one human to another and it can spread through body fluids like blood, saliva, stool, urine, sweat, etc. This makes it extremely dangerous in a densely populated country like ours where it s easy to catch the virus while travelling, in offices or in any other public area. The disease can also spread through soiled clothing, bed linen or used needles.

High fatality rate

According to the WHO, EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) outbreaks have a fatality rate of 90%. Currently, there is no licensed treatment or vaccine for the disease, either for humans or animals. The only way to treat patients is to place them in ICUs and that too is very dangerous for healthcare workers or anyone coming in contact with the victims.

No natural immunity

Unlike the African countries where ebola outbreaks have occurred before, the disease if it arrives is completely new in India which means that we have no natural immunity against the virus. Our internal body system has never experienced anything like the ebola virus and won t know how to fight it. Read more about 5 reasons the ebola virus should never come to India

With inputs from PTI

Photo source: Getty images

Published : October 31, 2014 12:02 pm

Read Disclaimer