Suspected Ebola Case in Kottayam Tests Negative, Patient Discharged

Kottayam: A woman from Pala admitted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital on suspicion of Ebola infection has tested negative for the virus and been discharged. She was discharged after blood samples sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, returned completely negative, bringing an end to the Ebola scare that had gripped the state.

The woman, who had been working in the South Sudan, was admitted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital last Wednesday after showing symptoms. She had travelled back to Keralam from Sudan via Uganda and subsequently experienced mild discomfort.

As a precautionary measure in line with global health security protocols concerning travellers from African countries, she was shifted to a special isolation ward and kept under observation by a team of expert doctors. Although no major abnormalities were evident in her symptoms, she remained hospitalised as a precaution. She was discharged only after tests confirmed the absence of the Ebola virus.