AHMEDABAD: The test report of a suspected Ebola patient admitted to an isolation ward in Ahmedabad has returned negative, Gujarat minister Praful Pansheriya said on Thursday.The minister of state for health also urged citizens not to panic or believe in rumours, asking citizens to rely only on official updates issued by the state health department.“The report of a suspected patient of the infectious disease Ebola virus originating from Congo has come negative. Citizens are requested not to harbour any kind of fear or panic and to stay away from rumours, relying only on the official information provided by the Health Department,” he said in a post on X.He added that the Gujarat government and the health department remain fully alert and prepared to deal with any public health emergency.On Wednesday, the minister had informed that a 37-year-old businessman from Congo, along with three persons who came in contact with him, had been admitted to isolation wards at separate hospitals in Ahmedabad. Their samples were sent for testing as a precautionary measure.The businessman had arrived in Mumbai from Congo about five to seven days ago and later travelled to Vadodara.After he developed fever, he was initially admitted to a private hospital in Vadodara and later shifted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where he was kept in an Ebola isolation ward.Two other persons who had accompanied the businessman were admitted to isolated wards at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad, while another individual who came in contact with them was also isolated.Following recent Ebola outbreaks in some African countries, the Gujarat health department intensified screening of passengers arriving from Uganda, Congo and South Sudan at Ahmedabad International Airport. It also prepared isolation wards in government hospitals.On May 17, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.( With PTI inputs)
