Sagar Biswas :The field officials have started keeping watch from Wednesday on the passengers at the land, air and sea ports and immigration points across the country, whether they are carrying the deadly virus Ebola with them.As a part of security measures against Ebola, the international passengers are now going under thorough medical check-up in the special immigration counter of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, official sources said.They said, special immigration counters have also been set up at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport and Sylhet Osmani International Airport. Besides, three main land ports- namely Burimari in Lalmonirhat, Hili on Dinajpur and Benapole in Jessore have been brought under special surveillance programme, where medical officials are working round-the-clock to check the deadly virus. A high-level committee headed by the Health Secretary has appointed several field level officials to run the monitoring programme in the ports. They are giving clearance to the passengers after being sure that they are not carrying the Ebola virus. As part of special precaution, 20 seats in the Kurmitola Hospital have been kept reserve for the emergency treatment of any suspected Ebola infected person although there is no report any affected man so far.Prof Mahmudur Rahman, Director of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research [IEDCR] said, “We have taken the steps as additional cautionary measures. So far we know, the countries where the virus has spread are already screening the people going to other countries.””Besides, Bangladesh has no direct air links with the affected West African countries and so, we believe it is hard for the deadly virus to make its way to Bangladesh,” he said.According to WHO, Ebola virus disease has been detected in four African countries, say, Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leon.Meanwhile, the Bangladesh missions in abroad are keeping close watch on the civilian immigrants and military personnel working in different countries in the Africa continent. Inter Service Public Relations in a statement yesterday said they haven’t received any report of Ebola infection among the country’s military personnel who have been working under various missions in the African countries.The Armed Forces Division is now keeping close contact with the United Nations to get first hand information about the infected Bangladeshi military man, the ISPR statement also said.
