The enormity of the Ebola outbreak hit home on Tuesday as 112 Indians and four Nepalese arrived in the country on different flights from Liberia. This West African country has seen over 600 deaths so far and is the worst affected. Till late in the night, 88 people had arrived -- 71 in Mumbai and 17 in Delhi. More were on their way on different commercial flights. Health ministry sources said of the 17 passengers who arrived at the Delhi airport, one person has been found to have fever and sore throat which is associated with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) besides other diseases. "The passenger suspected for EVD has been quarantined at the Airport Health Organisation (APHO), a specialized health centre run by the health ministry to screen international passengers for deadly diseases. We have sent the passenger's blood sample for test," said a ministry official.
At least six others, including two women and a child, were taken to APHO for detailed health screening and officials later claimed they did not have any symptoms of the disease. In addition, five passengers from routine flights from the affected countries -- Sierra Leone, Republic of Guinea and Nigeria -- with symptoms of fever have been quarantined at the isolation facility at Delhi airport, said health ministry sources.