More than 450 calls so far on Health Ministry's Ebola helpline

The 24x7 Ebola emergency helpline started by the Union Health Ministry to deal with queries and track any persons affected by the virus has received more than 450 calls till date.

The three helplines, which became operational on August 9 at Nirman Bhavan, are being manned by a team of eight doctors from the various government hospitals in the city.

"The questions asked by curious people ranged from the probing to the downright weird. They generally call to find out about the symptoms or how the infection spreads and what preventive measures need to be adopted.

"Worried people suffering from cold and fever also call to ask whether they should get themselves tested for Ebola and learn about the treatment for the disease," said a doctor. According to the doctors, the helplines were flooded with calls when the case of a person arriving from Nigeria with Ebola-like symptoms was reported in the media.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has reiterated that no confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in India so far. The Ebola virus has killed nearly 1,000 people in West Africa.

India has started screening passengers arriving from West African countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea as a precautionary measure against the virus.