Advisory for Travelers to India Who Underwent Treatment for Ebola Virus Disease

Date : 25 November 2014

1.Context:
A passenger traveling from Ebola affected country and has undergone treatment for Ebola Virus Disease.

2.Certificate of absence of virus in blood and other body fluids from the Ministry of Health of the affected country:
All passengers travelling from Ebola affected counties or who have undergone treatment for Ebola Virus Disease have to produce a certificate from the Ministry of Health of the country concerned, that there is no evidence of virus in his/ her body fluids. The certificate must indicate that the report has been prepared on the basis of two tests repeated 48 hours apart on samples of blood, urine, stool, vaginal fluid, and semen, and found negative for the presence of Ebola virus [by real time or conventional Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCT)].

3.Action at the Airport:
All such passengers, who have recovered from Ebola Virus Disease, and are traveling to India have to produce the certificate described in para 2. If the certificate is not complete in respect of any of the information indicated in para 2 to the satisfaction of the Airport Health Officer, then such passenger will be quarantined at the quarantine/isolation facilities attached to the airports for a period, determined by the reports of the tests on blood and other body fluids done on him/her.

4.Rationale for Action:
The Ebola virus is present in blood, other body fluids (urine, sweat, vaginal fluid, and semen) and stool of a case of Ebola Virus Disease for a variable period of time, after the patient becomes symptom-free.

5.Advisory:
Passengers who have undergone treatment for Ebola Virus Disease and who do not possess the certificate described in para 2 are advised not to travel to India for a period of 90 days, counted from the day he/she is discharged from the treatment facility.

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(Harvinder Singh) 
Head of Chancery