Karachi airport begins screening for Ebola virus

Authorities have begun strict screening and monitoring of 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 African countries where Ebola outbreaks have been reported, as well as pilgrims returning from Jeddah, would undergo enhanced medical monitoring during the Hajj operation.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Provincial Health Department focal person at Karachi airport Dr Syed Zafar Mehdi said viruses could spread internationally through travellers, 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 found with high fever or visible skin rashes, including red spots on the body, would be referred for further medical examination to the Sindh Government Infectious Diseases Hospital in NIPA.

Such suspected patients would remain in isolation at the facility until their test reports were received.

He added that health department personnel stationed at the airport had also been trained in identifying symptoms of the Ebola virus and carrying out relevant screening procedures.

Dr Mehdi said the Sindh Health Department had finalised precautionary and emergency arrangements at Jinnah International Airport after the recent international declaration regarding 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 disease to the designated hospital for isolation and treatment, he added.

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the ongoing Ebola outbreak had already resulted in 220 suspected deaths, warning that delays in detecting infections had left health responders struggling to contain the crisis.

"We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the epidemic is outpacing us," Tedros said.