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title: Man Tests Positive for Ebola in India
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# India's First Ebola Patient Has Been Quarantined

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mSo7iFZ3.m3u8" -->
## Video: Nigeria is an Ebola Success Story: Here's What The Country Did Right

[Watch (HLS stream): Nigeria is an Ebola Success Story: Here's What The Country Did Right](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mSo7iFZ3.m3u8) (2:43)

![Nigeria is an Ebola Success Story: Here's What The Country Did Right](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/mSo7iFZ3/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2014-10-21. The World Health Organization declared Nigeria free of Ebola on Monday, a containment victory in an outbreak that has stymied other countries’ response efforts._


by 

[Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/)


## Alexandra Sifferlin


Nov 18, 2014 4:21 PM UTC

by 

[Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/)


## Alexandra Sifferlin


Nov 18, 2014 4:21 PM UTC

An Indian resident who tested positive for Ebola—and was cured—has landed in Delhi from Liberia.

The 26-year-old man is being isolated in a facility at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport, [_The Times of India_ reports](http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Man-tests-positive-for-Ebola-in-Delhi-kept-under-isolation/articleshow/45194610.cms).

According to the _Times_, the man had already been treated for Ebola in West Africa, currently does not have symptoms and tested negative for the virus before he flew. However, his semen tested positive for the virus.

He had a medical clearance certificate from the Liberian government saying the had been treated and was confirmed negative from blood tests—that would deem him Ebola-free, according to the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His blood also tested negative in India. Semen can test positive after clinical clearance for up to three months, [according to the CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/qas.html). The agency recommends abstinence from sex—including oral sex—for at least three months. If abstinence cannot be followed, the CDC recommends condoms to prevent disease spread.

The patient in India is being kept in isolation in a health facility at the airport until his semen tests negative.

It’s not likely that he poses a threat, given the negative test from his blood, but experts have long been concerned that a spread of Ebola in India could be devastating given the population size.


## Transcript

Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, is free of Ebola after it went 42 straight days with no new cases reported. As the epidemic rages out of control in neighboring Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, how did Nigeria become an Ebola success story? [ MUSIC ] Declaring an emergency right away. When Nigeria had its first confirmed case of Ebola, the government declared a national public health emergency immediately. That means that strict procedures for treating patients and screening people were quickly put into place. For example, local health workers paid $ 18, 500 face to face visits to take the temperatures of nearly 900 people who had contact with Ebola patients.

Training local doctors. The World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders trained local doctors on how to treat patients effectively. But the country posed a unique challenge as the number of people living in Lagos is around 21 million. That's almost as large as the populations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone combined. How can the disease be contained under such circumstances? The answer, high quality contact tracing by experienced epidemiologists. With the help of GPS systems and daily mapping, government officials reached 100 % of known contacts in Lagos and placed them in isolation wards.

Managing Fear. Nigeria used social media and televised campaigns to reach its 174 million residents. To prevent panic, the country showcased patients who were successfully treated, and produced awareness campaigns on the disease. From national TV appearances by the president, to an online campaign starting Nigerian actors. No effort was spared to reassure the country's vast population. 0800 EBOLA HELP now. Keeping borders open. Nigeria made the decision of keeping it's frontiers open to travelers from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Saying that closing the borders would only hurt commercial activities in the countries whose economies were already struggling due to Ebola.

At the same time effective screening procedures checked incoming visitors. The average number of travelers screened each day reached more than 16, 000. Even though the outbreak was contained Nigeria is now slowing down its training and preparation procedures in case there are new cases. That's how you become an Ebola success story.

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