No Ebola case in India: Harsh Vardhan

No case of Ebola virus has been reported in India so far and the government is taking all measures to prevent its spread, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Friday.

"As of today, this moment, there is no Ebola case reported in India. There is no need to panic," he told reporters outside parliament.

Harsh Vardhan said the government is taking all measures and keeping a close watch over the movement of people into the country from the African nations which are affected by the virus.

There are about 45,000 Indians in the Ebola affected countries.

The heath minister recently informed the Lok Sabha that there could be possibility of Indians staying in the Ebola affected countries travelling back to India.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Friday declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa as an International Health Emergency.

"A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola," the WHO said in a statement issued after a two-day meeting of its emergency committee.

It noted that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa constituted an "extraordinary event" and a public health risk to other countries. - IANS