Published Jun 04, 2026 | 2:14 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 04, 2026 | 2:14 PM
The passenger had travelled to Hyderabad for a planned knee surgery at a private hospital.
Synopsis: A Sudanese national who arrived in Hyderabad on the morning of Thursday, 4 June was placed in isolation at Gandhi Hospital after a fever was detected during thermal screening at the airport. Health officials have sent blood samples to ICMR-NIV, Pune, for testing to rule out Ebola infection and said the patient is stable with no symptoms.
A Sudanese national was placed under isolation at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad upon arrival at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on the morning of Thursday, 4 June after airport authorities detected a temperature of around 100 degrees during thermal screening.
The passenger had travelled to the city for a planned knee surgery at a private hospital.
Health officials said blood samples had been collected and sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Pune, to rule out Ebola virus disease. The patient is being monitored in an isolation ward at Gandhi Hospital, the state’s designated Ebola nodal centre, pending laboratory results.
The precautionary measures come amid heightened surveillance following Ebola outbreaks reported in remote areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
According to health authorities in the two countries, as of 2 June, the DRC had reported 363 confirmed cases and 62 confirmed deaths, while Uganda had recorded 15 confirmed cases and one confirmed death. Uganda had also reported one probable case and one probable death.
Dr Vamsi Krishna, Nodal Officer for Ebola Preparedness at Gandhi Hospital, said the referral was made as a precaution because of the passenger’s travel history and the fever detected during screening, and not because of any confirmed signs of Ebola infection.
“The patient is not reporting any complaints. During thermal screening at the airport, his temperature was recorded at around 100 degrees, which raised suspicion. Since he had arrived from Sudan, authorities immediately informed us. As soon as the patient arrived, we placed him in isolation and began investigations,” he said.
Another doctor involved in the patient’s treatment said the traveller did not have any significant symptoms when examined.
“He has no history of fever or other symptoms. Even now, he is stable and under observation in isolation,” the doctor said.
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Staff at Gandhi Hospital have conducted preparedness exercises to ensure a rapid response in the event of a confirmed case.
The ongoing isolation and testing process is being carried out in accordance with established public health protocols for travellers arriving from regions that have experienced outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers.
Authorities are also reviewing the passenger’s travel history and preparing contact-tracing measures should further investigation become necessary.
Communication with the patient has also been challenging because of language barriers. Dr Vamsi Krishna said translators were being arranged to facilitate communication and clinical assessment.
Officials said that if laboratory tests return negative, the patient may be discharged with appropriate medical advice and monitoring. Further decisions will depend on the test results and clinical evaluation.
Dr Vamsi Krishna said Ebola virus disease often begins with symptoms that resemble common viral infections.
“Ebola symptoms are similar to many viral fevers, including fever, body pains, abdominal pain, vomiting and loose stools. Bleeding manifestations can also occur. However, this patient has none of these symptoms at present, including no bleeding symptoms,” he said.
“There is no specific treatment. Management is mainly symptomatic and supportive treatment.”
Health officials, however, clarified that fever alone does not indicate Ebola infection and that precautionary isolation is a standard public health measure for travellers arriving from regions under enhanced disease surveillance.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
