First Ebola suspect in state admitted at Raiganj hospital

(Ebola Virus)

EOI, Raiganj: The first suspect carrying the Ebola virus in the state has been identified as 25-year-old Alip Das, a worker who returned from Africa last week. He has been admitted at the Raiganj district hospital in North Dinajpur and is under quarantine.  

Alip is a resident of the Karandighi area of North Dinajpur. He was working in Nigeria, one of the countries in the African continent affected by the Ebola epidemic. Alip had gone to Nigeria with a group of labourers six months ago and they were all recalled home by the Indian government following the Ebola outbreak. Alip and 12 others landed in Mumbai on August 25 and were screened at the airport. All of them passed the scrutiny to reach home on August 30.

However, upon reaching home, Alip took ill and showed symptoms including high fever, muscle pain and vomiting that is usually associated with Ebola, said Alip's brother Liton. Malaria was initially suspected and his blood sample was sent for a test. When word of this reached the district health department, a team visited Alip’s home on Sunday and when they were informed that the patient had just returned from Nigeria, the health officials he be admitted to hospital for a thorough checkup. 

Alip has been kept in quarantine at the hospital in a makeshift ward and the doctors are keeping a close watch on him. A notice has been hung outside the room restricting unauthorised admission of even medical personnel unless they are part of the team treating the patient. Alip’s blood sample has been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing to verify Ebola.

"The patient has been kept in an isolation ward and is under round the clock observation. He had recently travelled to Nigeria. We have sent his blood sample to NIV, Pune the country's nodal centre for Ebola diagnosis," said BR Satpathy, director of state health services.

Alip’s body temperature hovers around 103 degrees Fahrenheit, said one of the doctors treating him. Satpathy said they expect the test result in two days. "If he tests positive, he will be taken to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital where a separate specialised ward for treating Ebola patients has been set up," he said. Meawhile, the other specialised centre for treatment of Ebola in Bengal is the hospital for infectious diseases at Beleghata in Kolkata.

 According to experts, the symptoms of this deadly disease occur after two days to three weeks of contracting the virus. The symptoms include high fever, sore throat, severe muscle pain and headache. Typically, vomiting, diarrheoa and body rashes follow, along with malfunctioning of the liver and the kidneys. By this time, those affected may begin to bleed both internally and externally.

The virus may be acquired through contact with blood or bodily fluids of an infected animal. Spreading through air has not been confirmed as yet. Fruit bats are believed to carry and spread the virus although they themselves are not affected. Once a human is infected, the disease spreads rapidly and is contagious.

For a proper diagnosis, other diseases with similar symptoms such as malaria, cholera and viral hemorrhagic fevers are first tested and sidelined. To confirm Ebola, blood samples are tested for viral antibodies, viral RNA, or the virus itself.

At least 1,552 people have died of the lethal ailment in West Africa since its outbreak in the region this year, making it the deadliest since the disease was first identified in 1976. It has led to a worldwide examination of people returning from Africa, especially Nigeria. India has quarantined some suspected patients since August 9, but none of them tested positive for Ebola. Efforts are under way to develop a vaccine, although no significant breakthrough has been achieved so far.