Centre issues State alerts after WHO declares Ebola emergency

The Centre has issued alerts to all States and Union Territories to strengthen surveillance, hospital preparedness, and rapid response systems following the World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration of the Ebola Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). States are advised to intensify surveillance under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) for unusual fever clusters, especially among travelers from affected regions. The advisory details symptoms, calls for designated isolation facilities, trained personnel, PPE, and laboratory support from institutions like ICMR's National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. It also emphasizes infection prevention, control practices, and public communication to prevent misinformation.