ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Wednesday that the government was prepared to deal with the Ebola virus and that there was no patient affected by the disease in the country.

Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Secretariat Raja Javed Akhlas told the House in response to a calling attention notice.

“The person, who died in Chiniot, has expired due to Hepatitis C and not Ebola virus,” he said.

Members National Assembly Dr Nafisa Shah, Shazia Marri, Ijaz Jakhrani, Ramesh Lal and Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto had drawn the attention of Minister for Health Services, towards the death of a Pakistani initially thought to be due to the Ebola virus.

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The parliamentary secretary said soon after the suspicion that the person, who had returned from West Africa, was affected by the Ebola virus, the Punjab Health Department and WHO teams had reached Allied Hospital Faisalabad to check the patient.

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“He was not suffering from the virus. Rather he was a chronic patient of Hepatitis C and died due to this disease,” said Akhlas.

He said the government was aware of the challenge and had opted for numerous measures like engaging communities, awareness campaigns, isolated wards and coordination between the federal and provincial governments.

He said an effective plan had already been prepared and a task force constituted comprising representatives from the federal and provincial governments.

Pakistanis returning from West Africa were being medically checked up at entry points of airports, he added.

He also mentioned measures introduced by the government and said all flights coming from West Africa were being screened while a training programme had also been started with doctors, ward boys and nurses to deal with any case of Ebola virus.