Kerala Quarantines Ebola Travelers for 21 Days

Kerala is enforcing a strict 21-day mandatory quarantine for all passengers arriving from Ebola-affected countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. The State's Health Department is actively engaged in comprehensive Ebola surveillance, mirroring strategies used during previous health crises like COVID-19 and Nipah outbreaks.

To prepare for potential cases, districts have designated institutional facilities and hospitals for isolation. Mock drills, such as the one recently conducted at Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, are regularly held to assess preparedness for scenarios ranging from receiving a suspect to waste management. A nodal officer is assigned to each tertiary care center.

As of May 31, 27 individuals from affected nations are under home quarantine. One person is in institutional quarantine in Ernakulam, and another with symptoms is isolated in a hospital. Symptomatic travelers are directly isolated, while asymptomatic individuals with contact history undergo institutional quarantine, and those without contact history quarantine at home. Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, with an incubation period of up to 21 days.