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India Issues Aviation Safety SOP for Ebola Prevention
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for airlines following the World Health Organization declaration of the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for airlines operating connectivity with Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda following the Ebola outbreak declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Under the new guidelines, airlines are required to ensure mandatory filing and collection of self-declaration forms from passengers before disembarkation in India.
The DGCA has also made it compulsory for airlines to make specific in-flight health announcements aimed at early identification of potential Ebola cases and prevention of disease transmission.
Passengers have been instructed to immediately report symptoms such as fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or bleeding to airline crew members and to immigration or medical authorities upon arrival.
According to the SOP, travellers developing symptoms within 21 days of arriving in India must seek medical attention at designated hospitals and inform airport health authorities.
For suspected Ebola cases onboard an aircraft, airlines have been directed to relocate the passenger to the rear section of the aircraft and, wherever feasible, keep three rows of seats in front and adjacent seats vacant to minimise exposure risk.
Airlines have additionally been instructed to maintain adequate supplies of triple-layer masks, disposable gloves, PPE kits, hand sanitisers and biohazard disposal bags onboard flights.
The measures are part of India’s preventive public health response aimed at strengthening surveillance and preparedness against potential cross-border transmission of infectious diseases.