In September 2015, when the Ebola virus disease was spreading in African countries, a Nigerien citizen arrived in Nepal without a visa. The health workers deployed there scattered after the infrared thermal imaging camera installed at the health desk at Tribhuvan International Airport detected a fever in the man. Some police personnel also fled in fear.

When two armed police officers pointed guns at the man and warned him not to take a single step, he started crying in fear.

'A kind of panic had arisen at the airport, I myself had gone there to understand the situation,' Dr. Baburam Marasini, the then director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, recalled the incident 11 years ago, 'The foreigner was found to have come illegally. His temperature had risen due to stress. We detained him overnight and sent him back on the same plane he had come on.'

Preparations are needed to control not only Ebola, but also other deadly diseases, because the infection can spread at any time. - Dr. Anup Bastola , Director of Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital   Ebola is a highly contagious disease caused by the Orthoebola virus found in the African subcontinent. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this virus can cause severe and often fatal disease, with a mortality rate of 80 to 90 percent.

The recent spread of a new strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has raised great concern. There have been about 170 suspected deaths and more than 900 cases of infection reported there.

According to experts, Nepal is also at high risk of infectious diseases due to global travel. With thousands of international passengers arriving daily and the constant movement of migrant workers, the disease can enter from any area.

In addition, more than 970 Nepali peacekeepers are currently deployed in Congo under the UN peacekeeping mission, including in Bunia in Ituri province, which was the epicenter of the latest Ebola virus infection.

Health experts, virologists and infectious disease specialists say Nepal is not in a position to handle a single case of Ebola. They say that there has been little improvement in the preparedness to control highly infectious diseases since the airport incident in 2015.

Despite what the government claims, our health system is weak and not ready to handle a highly contagious disease like Ebola. - Dr. Baburam Marasini , then Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division   'Despite what the government claims, our health system is weak and not ready to handle highly infectious diseases like Ebola,' Marasini said. 'If a single infected patient reaches big hospitals like Bir Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Patan Hospital, it can cause great devastation. Because there are thousands of patients arriving there every day, there is a risk of transmission.'

According to experts, a 'dedicated' hospital is needed to handle a disease like Ebola. The government has not yet felt the need to designate or prepare any hospital for Ebola treatment.

According to officials, health workers deployed at airport health desks have been alerted, but according to doctors, the disease can spread even during the incubation period. During the incubation period, passengers entering Nepal do not show symptoms of Ebola. But during this period, an infected person can also transmit the infection to others.

'What is the guarantee that an infected person will go directly to the designated hospital?' Infectious disease specialist Dr. Prabhat Adhikari asked, 'He can also go to a pharmacy or clinic first, which are places that are not prepared for infectious disease management.'

According to doctors, the virus is transmitted through bodily fluids such as feces, phlegm, and blood. Since it can also be transmitted through the excreta of an infected person, it must be disinfected before it enters the sewage system. But no hospital in Nepal has such a system.

Since it can also be transmitted through the excreta of an infected person, it must be disinfected before it enters the sewage system. But no hospital in Nepal has such a system. 'We do not have a test kit, a vaccine, and a treatment for the Bundibugyo type of Ebola,' the official said, 'The relevant agencies have not taken it seriously, which would be a big mistake. Corona also spread due to similar negligence.'

Experts say quarantine and isolation centers are needed for suspected patients away from settlements. Special ambulances are needed to prevent the spread of the infection, and drivers and security personnel should be trained. But nothing has happened so far.

Former health officials say that more than a thousand health workers were trained during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak. Treatment centers were designated and coordination with security agencies was also done.

According to them, samples collected for testing should be sent to the World Health Organization's state-of-the-art laboratories, but international airlines do not easily allow samples of infectious viruses to be carried.

'We have trained health workers, we have also taught them the process of putting on and taking off personal protective equipment (PPE),' said Dr. Anup Bastola, director of Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital. 'Preparation is also needed to control not only Ebola, but other deadly diseases, because the infection can spread at any time.'

Symptoms of Ebola infection include fever, headache, vomiting, extreme weakness, stomach pain, nosebleeds and vomiting blood.

Experts have urged to increase laboratory capacity, train health workers and strengthen the surveillance system. According to them, even though the risk of Ebola spreading in Nepal is currently low, it would be a mistake to completely rule it out.

Nepali Army to keep peacekeepers returning from Congo in mandatory isolation for 21 days. 'We should not wait for the patient to come to the hospital, preparations should be made in advance,' said Dr. Sher Bahadur Pun, head of the clinical research unit of Shukraraj Hospital, 'Such negligence can lead to loss of life and disaster.'

Meanwhile, the Nepali Army has decided to keep peacekeepers returning from Congo in mandatory isolation for 21 days.

'We will not allow soldiers returning from Ebola-affected countries to meet anyone or go home immediately upon arrival, they will have to stay in isolation for 21 days,' said Nepali Army Spokesperson Rajaram Basnet. He said the army is also collaborating with the Ministry of Health and the United Nations to ensure that Ebola does not come with the soldiers returning home.