No ebola case in India, no need for panic: Harsh Vardhan

The Minister said the government was taking all precautions well in advance and keeping a close watch on the movement of people into India

Amid global concern over spread of deadly Ebola epidemic which has been declared an international health emergency by WHO, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today said there is no reported case of the virus in the country and the government is taking all precautions.

"As of today, this moment, there is no Ebola case reported in India. There is no need to panic," he said.

The Minister said government was taking all precautions well in advance and keeping a close watch on the movement of people into India from countries affected by the virus.

In the light of the outbreak of Ebola virus in west African countries, government had earlier this week announced a slew of steps including screening and tracking of passengers originating or transiting from there, and asked Indians to defer non-essential travel to that region.

There are close to 45,000 Indians in affected countries.

If the situation worsens in these countries, there could be possibility of Indians staying there travelling back to India, Vardhan had recently said in Parliament.

Mandatory self reporting by the passengers coming from or transiting through the affected countries would be required at immigration check, Vardhan had said, adding in-flight announcements regarding this would also be made by the airlines.

The WHO today declared the killer Ebola epidemic ravaging parts of west Africa an international health emergency and appealed for global aid to help afflicted countries.

The WHO move comes as US health authorities yesterday admitted that Ebola's spread beyond west Africa was "inevitable", and after medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that the deadly virus was now "out of control" with more than 60 outbreak hotspots.