4 min readMay 28, 2026 02:52 PM IST
The National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) on Thursday confirmed that a 37-year-old man who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo to India before being admitted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, has tested negative for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
Gujarat health minister Praful Pansheriya confirmed the same in an X post on May 28. He said, “The report of a suspected patient of the infectious disease Ebola virus from Congo has come negative. Citizens are requested not to have any kind of fear or panic and to stay away from rumors and trust only the official information provided by the Health Department.”
However, the Indian Express has learnt that the man did test positive for a vector-borne disease – Falciparum Malaria. Sources in the health department confirmed the result and said that the patient’s symptoms, including high grade fever with chills and rigours, severe body ache and headache for three days before treatment, are in alignment with the clinical diagnosis of Malaria as well.
Notably, since Ebola is a high mortality disease, and it has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Government of India is taking extra caution as to this patient. On those lines, the Indian Express has learnt that even though the first test report has come back negative, a second test will be carried out on the suspect patient.
A source in the health department said, “Since the incubation period of the Ebola Virus is very long, a decision will soon be taken on when to repeat the test, within 48 hours or after a week. Since this patient has been in India for about 10 days now, this decision will be important in line with current knowledge about the disease.”
Depending on when the government decides to carry out the second test, the sample will again have to be sent to ICMR-NIV in Pune, which takes about 48 hours to send results, which is variable based on the transport time of samples to the Bio-Safety Level 4 (BSL-4) lab there.
Notably, the incubation period of Ebola Virus can vary from 2 to 21 days with symptoms appearing within 8 to 10 days of exposure.
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The patient in question arrived in India, landing at Mumbai International Airport on May 18. He stayed there for five days, till May 22. He then travelled to the Union Territories of Silvassa (DNH) and Daman, staying there for four days, till May 25. On May 25, he travelled to Vadodara in Gujarat and stayed at the Express Hotel. He was admitted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, the designated Apex Hospital for Ebola in Gujarat at 10:13 pm on May 26.
Notably three of the patient’s colleagues, all foreign nationals, were identified as close contacts who had travelled with him. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) initially placed them in home isolation but the state government then took the call to quarantine them and thus moved them to SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad on May 27 evening.
There are three levels of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) established to deal with EVD. Apart from screening and self declaration by passengers arriving from affected countries including DR Congo, South Sudan and Uganda, the first level is home isolation for contacts of patients, the second level is quarantine at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad and the third level, for symptomatic patients, is admittance and treatment at the two designated Apex Hospitals in Gujarat – Asarwa Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad and New Civil Hospital in Surat.
