HYDERABAD: The recent Ebola scare in Chennai has pushed airport officials in Hyderabad to take rigourous preventive steps to ensure that the deadly disease does not enter the city.
Though there are no direct flights from West Africa,from where the disease has originated, airport officials are conducting a thorough screening of passengers arriving from African countries of Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinesa by international flights to Hyderabad via Bombay, Delhi and Chennai. “We have assigned eight doctors at the airport for the screening process. We carefully screen people coming from the four countries. Any suspected person will be immediately sent to Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Secunderabad and will be kept in complete isolation,” said Mahesh Jupaka, Head of Airport Health Organisation, Shamshabad Airport Hyderabad and Senior Regional Director, Government of India, Hyderabad.

“At regular intervals, we announce symptoms of the disease to passengers. We select few people based on their travel history and blood samples of the suspect will be sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune,” he informed.
“However, there are hardly any people coming from the West African countries to Hyderabad. So far, there have been only 15 people coming from these countries,” informed Mahesh.

The symptoms of the disease include frequent headaches, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, joint muscle pain, lack of appetite.
“Usually, it takes 2 to 21 days to notice the infection. Till then, the suspects, if any, will be kept in complete isolation in Gandhi Hospital,” he said.
So far, no cases of Ebola have been reported in Hyderabad. The disease originated from animals like monkeys and chimpanzees and spread to humans. However, there is no such danger in India and the only way it can spread is from human to human,” he informed.
P Venkateshwar Rao, District Medical Health Officer said, “It is so bad that one has to maintain nearly two kilometers distance from the person having the disease and there is a danger of doctors acquiring it while treating the patients.”

He further added, “Government officials are constantly in touch with the officials from World Health Organisation.”

AHMEDABAD: Birds have always been a severe threat to flights operating out of the city airport.
Not only the passengers' lives have been put at risk but aircrafts too have suffered damage resulting in the grounding of the flights by the airlines. Though the recent incidents of bird-hit were due to insects in the grass along the runway, birds continue to flock at the airport because of the garbage being dumped in open in areas around the airport.
The airport environment management committee (AEMC) which is responsible for bird management at the airport has not met for over months. AEMC, headed by the principal secretary (forest and environment) of Gujarat government, meets every quarter and was scheduled to meet in July last. "The meeting will be held this week as Van Mahotsav was going on," said R K Singh, airport director.
Singh highlighted that Kotarpur waterworks and fish and meat being sold in open in Asarwa have been attracting birds to a great extent. "The technical committee had recommended putting a net on Kotarpur waterworks to keep away the birds. This will be discussed in the next meeting of AEMC," said Singh.
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the fish market in Asarwa is also a threat which needs to be relooked.
The bird management committee under AAI has deployed eight bird chasers at any given time who are equipped with crackers and six-shot launchers. Also, two jeeps keep a check on the either side of the runway. In spite of all these measures, birds continue to thrive at the city airport.
The throwing of garbage in open in areas such as Meghaninagar, Noblenagar and Kubernagar is also a threat. "The increased inspections in these areas by AAI and AMC have been ineffective. We will enhance the inspection and also conduct surprise checks in these areas," added Singh.
Due to monsoon season, the lights on the runway attract a lot of insects which in turn attract birds. AAI will spray these spots with insecticides on a regular basis.