KARACHI:
Authorities have started strictly screening and monitoring international passengers at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport amid concerns over the possible spread of the Ebola virus.
The move comes ahead of the return of Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, which is expected to begin from the third day of Eidul Azha.
Health authorities said passengers arriving from abroad, particularly from African countries where Ebola outbreaks have been reported, as well as pilgrims returning from Jeddah, will undergo increased medical screening during the Hajj operation.
talking to The express PAkGazetteProvincial Health Department coordinator at Karachi airport, Dr. Syed Zafar Mehdi, said the viruses could spread internationally through travelers, particularly from countries currently facing Ebola outbreaks.
He said dedicated staff had been deployed at the airport to screen incoming passengers using scanners and thermal guns.
According to Dr Mehdi, passengers who develop high fever or visible skin rashes, including red spots on the body, will be referred for further medical examination to the Sindh Government Infectious Diseases Hospital at NIPA.
These suspected patients would remain isolated at the facility until their test reports were received.
He added that health department personnel stationed at the airport had also been trained to identify the symptoms of the Ebola virus and carry out relevant screening procedures.
Dr Mehdi said the Sindh Health Department had finalized precautionary and emergency arrangements at Jinnah International Airport after the recent international declaration on the spread of Ebola as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Authorities have also arranged emergency ambulances at the airport to immediately transfer suspected passengers showing symptoms of infectious diseases to the designated hospital for isolation and treatment, he added.
Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the current Ebola outbreak had already led to 220 suspected deaths, and warned that delays in detecting infections had left health services struggling to contain the crisis.
“We are urgently expanding operations, but at the moment the epidemic is overtaking us,” Tedros said.
