NEW DELHI, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - India is fully equipped to tackle the threat of Ebola as the country has an adequate surveillance and tracking system, Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Tuesday.
"After conducting the assessment, we are satisfied. A mock drill was also carried out, and after the testing we think that we are fully equipped to tackle any Ebola cases [in India]. We have also trained more doctors. I am fully assured that our country is totally prepared to tackle patients, affected with Ebola," Vardhan said at a meeting with officials from various government ministries and the National Disaster Management Authority in New Delhi to review the country's readiness to respond to a possible Ebola crisis.
The minister added that, although thermal scanners are already in use in all the 15 major airports, more thermal scanners and other detection equipment will soon be installed in all the international airports and sea ports.
Vardhan noted that India's Ebola threat comes from the fact that around seven thousand Indian forces are part of the UN Peace Keeping forces deployed in various African countries. Troops have been informed about the precautionary measures to be taken, and returning forces will be thoroughly checked for the symptoms, according to Vardhan.
The current Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in February, and spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal, however, Senegal and Nigeria have recently been declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organization (WHO). Several cases of the disease have also been registered outside of West Africa.
At the moment, there is no officially approved medication for Ebola, however, Russia, alongside the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Canada, is currently working on a vaccine.
According to the October 17 WHO data, more than 4,500 people have died from the disease, with more than 9,200 confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola cases.
