Health officials conducting awareness mock drill for Ebola virus disease. Photo for representational purposes only.
| Photo Credit: Rajesh N.
The test report of a suspected Ebola patient admitted to an isolation ward in Ahmedabad has returned negative, Gujarat minister Praful Pansheriya said on Thursday (May 28, 2026).
The Minister of State for health also urged citizens to not panic or believe in rumours, adding that they must rely only on information shared officially by the State health department.
“The report of a suspected patient of the infectious disease Ebola virus originating from Congo has come negative. Citizens are requested not to harbour any kind of fear or panic and to stay away from rumours, relying only on the official information provided by the Health Department,” he said in a post on X.
The State government and its health department are fully alert, prepared, and committed to protecting public health, he added.
On Wednesday (May 27, 2026), the minister had informed that a 37-year-old businessman from Congo and three persons who came in contact with him had been admitted to isolation wards at separate hospitals in Ahmedabad, and their samples had been sent for testing.
The businessman had arrived in Mumbai from Congo about five to seven days ago and later travelled to Vadodara.
After he developed fever, he was admitted to a private hospital in Vadodara before being shifted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and admitted to the Ebola ward as a precautionary measure.
Two other persons who had accompanied the businessman were admitted to isolated wards at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad, while another individual who had come in contact with them was also isolated.
Following Ebola outbreaks in some African countries, the Gujarat health department intensified screening of passengers arriving from Uganda, Congo and South Sudan at Ahmedabad International Airport. It also prepared isolation wards in government hospitals.
On May 17, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Published – May 28, 2026 05:25 pm IST
