India advises against travel to DRC, Uganda and South Sudan following Ebola emergency

New Delhi: India issued an urgent advisory on Sunday, directing citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and South Sudan.

The travel warning, released by the health ministry, was in response to a surging outbreak of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus in Central Africa.

Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo species causes a severe viral hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate. No approved vaccines or specific treatments are currently available for this particular species.

While India has not reported any cases of the virus, the ministry has aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to strengthen border surveillance.

The WHO officially designated the crisis a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 17 May, and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) followed by declaring it a public health emergency of continental security. Neighbouring South Sudan has also been flagged as a high-risk zone for transmission.

“Surveillance protocols have been strengthened at entry checkpoints to detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection,” the health ministry said in a statement.

Dr Aashish Chaudhry, Managing Director, Aakash Healthcare in Delhi said, “Ebola is one of the deadliest viral outbreaks in the world, currently witnessing a mortality rate of over 20% with no definitive cure or universally accessible treatment. While India has not reported any outbreak, preparedness and prevention must remain our top priority. Strengthening airport screenings, mandatory quarantine and isolation protocols for travellers arriving from affected regions, and stricter monitoring of international movement are essential steps to safeguard public health.”

“The recent cancellation of a global summit in India due to the outbreak underlines the seriousness of the situation. Public awareness, rapid response systems, and healthcare readiness can make a critical difference in preventing any possible spread,” Dr Chaudhry added.

Meanwhile, Rajeev Jayadevan, a public health expert and former president of Indian Medical Association, Cochin said, “Ebola outbreak in Africa is likely from a new spillover event rather than from previously circulating virus, according to the latest virus genome sequencing report. Therefore it is harder to detect and prevent. The virus jumps to humans from infected animals such as bats, monkeys and apes, usually through contact with blood, body fluids, excrement or raw meat during hunting and butchering.”

Across both the DRC and Uganda, there are currently 85 laboratory-confirmed cases, resulting in 10 deaths. While the virus is primarily spreading through the eastern provinces of the DRC, health officials have detected a few imported cases in Kampala, Uganda.

Earlier, Mint reported that Union health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava chaired a high-level review meeting with health secretaries of all states and Union territories to assess nationwide preparedness. Srivastava emphasized the need for coordinated domestic surveillance and timely reporting, distributing detailed standard operating procedures covering pre-arrival screening, quarantine protocols, and hospital readiness.