Intensive screening of passengers arriving from Uganda, Congo and South Sudan is being conducted at the Ahmedabad International Airport amid the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa as per the Centre's SOP, Gujarat health minister Praful Panseriya said on Monday.

While not a single Ebola case has been reported in India, the Gujarat health department has set up special beds at two hospitals in Ahmedabad and Surat as a precautionary measure, he said after chairing a meeting with senior health department officials to discuss the state's preparedness and advanced planning.

Panseriya said the health department is closely monitoring the passengers arriving from the affected African countries, with intensive screening of flyers from Uganda, Congo and South Sudan being conducted at the Ahmedabad International Airport between 6 PM and 10 AM.

"There is not a single case of Ebola virus in Gujarat or India at present, and there is no need to panic. The health department team has been directed to strictly follow the guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures prescribed by the Centre," he said.

This screening is only for passengers coming from affected African countries, and there is no cause for concern for passengers from other countries, he said.

He added that the administrative and health officials are fully prepared to meet any situation.

The Indian government has advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan in view of the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain in parts of Africa.

Countries bordering the DRC and Uganda, including South Sudan, have been assessed to be at high risk of disease transmission, the advisory said Panseriya said 32 beds have been designated for suspected cases at the Ahmedabad civil hospital and 10 beds at Surat civil hospital, in case of emergency. Additionally, a 60-bed isolation ward and special arrangements have been made at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad for treating suspected patients.

"If any passenger is found to be suspicious, the state government is fully prepared to start his treatment immediately as per the guidelines of the Government of India," he said.

Ebola is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by infection with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus and is known to have a high mortality rate.

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