A suspected case of Ebola virus disease has been reported in Rajasthan, prompting health authorities to activate precautionary protocols while awaiting laboratory confirmation, Ada Derana reported, citing Times Now.

The patient, a woman from Uganda who arrived in Jaipur from Sharjah on Friday morning aboard an Air Arabia flight, was flagged during routine airport screening after exhibiting symptoms consistent with Ebola. She was admitted to RUHS Hospital in Jaipur and placed in strict isolation.

RUHS Hospital Superintendent Dr. Anil Gupta said the woman has not been diagnosed with Ebola, clarifying that a definitive diagnosis can only be made after laboratory testing. Samples have been sent for examination and the patient is being monitored under established infectious disease protocols.

The case lands during a major Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain of the virus in parts of Central and East Africa. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, and there is currently no approved vaccine specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, although three candidates are being prepared for emergency use.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week that the outbreak now spans more than 344 confirmed and suspected cases across multiple districts, with response teams chasing the virus rather than getting ahead of it.

India has not reported any confirmed Ebola cases linked to the current outbreak. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued advisories for travellers from or transiting through DRC, Uganda and South Sudan and has implemented enhanced screening at international points of entry. A Ugandan woman isolated in Bengaluru in May with similar symptoms eventually tested negative.

For Sri Lanka, the Rajasthan case raises the urgency of the five-point Ebola preparedness plan unveiled in May after the WHO PHEIC declaration, given the heavy two-way traffic between Colombo and Indian hubs including Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

Source: Ada Derana (citing Times Now).