Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Saturday that 117 passengers of the 1,191 who had arrived in India from war struck Sudan were in quarantine as they had not been vaccinated against Yellow Fever. India has launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate about 3,000 people of Indian origin who are stranded in Sudan.
The health ministry informed that none of the 360 evacuees on the first flight of ‘Operation Kaveri’ that arrived in New Delhi were required to quarantine, however 14 passengers were quarantined from the second flight which arrived in Mumbai on 26 April, of which 2 were released after validation of their vaccination certificates.
The third flight arrived in Bengaluru on 28 April with 360 passengers of which 47 passengers were initially quarantined. 3 were released today after verification of vaccination. The verification of five more passengers is in process.
The fourth flight containing passengers arrived in Delhi on 28 April with 231 passengers of which 61 were quarantined (one was later released). 35 passengers are at Delhi APHO and 26 passengers are at Safdarjung Hospital.
The fifth flight is expected to arrive in Delhi on Saturday with 367 passengers and an additional flight under ‘Operation Kaveri’ with 320 passengers is expected to arrive on Sunday at 10:30 am in Bengaluru, the ministry said.
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The free of charge quarantine centres for these passengers are being managed by Airport Health Officers (APHO)s, and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at various hospitals across states holding a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as well as central government hospitals in Delhi such as Safdarjung Hospital, the statement from MoHFW said. It further informed that arrangements have also been made at RHTC, Najafgarh (100 beds); NITR, Mehrauli (40 beds) and Lady Hardinge Medical College (60 beds).
The ministry stated that the quarantined passengers will be released after 7 days if they remain asymptomatic. The numbers of those quarantined will be dynamic as it is dependent on verification status of passengers’ passport number(s).
Yellow Fever is spread by a species of mosquito common to areas of Africa and South America. Mild cases cause fever, headache, nausea and vomiting and serious cases may cause fatal heart, liver and kidney conditions. No specific treatment for the disease exists but the Yellow Fever vaccine is most effective against the virus. A single dose provides lifelong protection for most people and is recommended for people aged 9 months or older and who are traveling to or living in areas at risk for yellow fever virus in Africa and South America.
India requires passengers travelling to and from YF endemic countries (countries where Yellow Fever disease is persisting) to have been vaccinated against the virus and to possess a “VALID YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CERTIFICATE” issued by authorized and designated vaccination centres in India.
Those found not in possession of such Valid certificate or defective certificate as enumerated by the WHO, are upon reporting by the Immigration Officers are quarantined for a period till the YF certificate becomes “valid” or until a period of six days, reckoned from the date of last possible exposure to infection, has elapsed, whichever occurs first.