Ebola screening: Goa port hires extra health personnel

Panaji, Nov 3 (IANS) Goa port authorities have hired additional health personnel for screening passengers arriving from Ebola-affected countries, officials told the state-level core committee set up to review preparedness against the disease.

Goa’s only major port is operated by the central government’s Mormugao Port Trust.

A government spokesperson said the port authorities have hired two additional doctors and two health officials.

The port handles commercial marine traffic from across the globe, including vessels en route to and from the African continent, in whose western parts the disease broke out.

The spokesperson said that "the screening reports are being sent on a daily basis to the state surveillance unit. Till date, no case of Ebola Virus Disease has been reported from anywhere in India, including Goa."

The core committee comprises top health, police and immigration officials of the state and is chaired by the health secretary.

Ebola, a hemorrhagic virus, has killed nearly 3,500 people, especially in west Africa, according to World Health Organisation figures.