AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 launched for Ebola health surveillance: How it helps

A day after France confirmed its first Ebola case outside Africa, India's Civil Aviation Ministry and the Delhi International Airport Limited have launched an upgraded, contactless passenger health self-declaration portal. Named the AIR SUVIDHA 2.0, it aims to strengthen public health surveillance at points of entry in response to the Ebola disease outbreak. It is developed in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Union Health Ministry. 

How the portal helps
The portal enables international arriving passengers with the following:
a) Submit a mandatory online health self-declaration 
b) It will cover a 21-day travel history
c) Exposure history 
d) Related symptoms, if any, prior to immigration clearance.
e) It also enables real-time data sharing with the Airport Health Officer, Bureau of Immigration, IDSP and State Surveillance Officers, 
f) It helps in swift identification and referral of at-risk travellers while keeping the arrival experience seamless and contactless
g) It demands the filling of no physical forms on landing

Time frame
The Air Suvidha Self-Declaration Form (SDF) can be completed 24 hours before arrival in India. Passengers are requested to fill the forms before boarding the flight, during web check-in for swift clearance on arrival, and are only required to show the downloaded SDF at the International Travel Health Desk or Immigration counter. 

The launch of the portal follows the WHO's declaration of the Ebola/Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern on May 17 under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005. The current outbreak has been confirmed as Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD), and countries bordering Congo and Uganda, including South Sudan, have been assessed as high-risk for transmission. 
(With PTI inputs)