Ebola scare ends in Kerala as suspected patient's test returns negative

Kottayam (Kerala): An Ebola scare in Kerala ended after the test result of a suspected patient returned negative, officials said on Saturday.

A 52-year-old woman who arrived from South Sudan via Uganda was recently admitted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital with symptoms suspected to be associated with Ebola.

Officials said the test result from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) was received late on Friday night and was found to be negative.


The patient, who had initially been admitted with fever at a private hospital in Pala, was shifted to an isolation facility at Kottayam Medical College considering her recent travel history to African countries where Ebola outbreaks have been reported.

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Health Minister K Muraleedharan told reporters that concerns over Ebola had been allayed and the patient has been shifted to home quarantine.

"The duration of home quarantine will be decided by a medical board constituted for the purpose. Usually, we follow a 21-day quarantine period, but as the patient no longer has symptoms, the decision will be taken by the medical board," he said.

Ebola is a rare but potentially fatal viral disease that spreads mainly through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood, vomit and faeces.

Early symptoms of the disease include fever, sore throat, headache, fatigue and body pain.