India issues warning against non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda and South Sudan amid Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola epidemic in Central Africa a global public health emergency. | Photo credit: Reuters

The Government of India has advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan in view of the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa.

The Health Ministry’s advisory issued on Saturday (May 23, 2026) follows the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the Ebola outbreak in central Africa a “global public health emergency”.

Earlier, the top health institute declared the Central African outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Officials revised the risk to “very high” nationally in the DRC and “high” regionally, although the global risk remains “low.”

The current Bundibugyo tribe lacks approved vaccines or treatments, requiring immediate public health interventions.

As of Saturday (May 23, 2026), the total number of reported Bundibugyo Ebola victims has risen to 216. The total number of cases, including suspected and confirmed, stands at 968.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has implemented strict screening protocols at all major international gateways, including the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, to catch potential cases of the strain.

This includes targeted surveillance specifically for passengers arriving from or transiting through high-risk countries, including the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, flights operating on these routes are to conduct mandatory in-flight health reports and distribute Self-Declaration Forms (SDFs), and passengers must report to an Airport Health Officer (APHO) or health desk before removing symptoms of suspected immigration or direct patient contact with body fluid.

In addition, the Ministry of Health has also started physical screening where entry points will use 24/7 thermal screening and visual monitoring to catch febrile illnesses. Airports are also equipped with dedicated isolation stations and rapid response ambulances to immediately isolate and transfer symptomatic individuals to designated hospital wards.

The ministry said all travelers from destination zones are required by law to self-monitor for 21 days and seek medical attention immediately if they develop symptoms and fully disclose their travel history.

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The WHO has historically classified severe Ebola outbreaks as PHEIC. During the major crisis in West Africa in 2014, the WHO highlighted the unprecedented scale of the virus, calling it the most complex outbreak since its discovery in 1976.

WHO has consistently emphasized that Ebola control relies heavily on rapid surveillance, contact tracing and community engagement.

While the organization has approved specific monoclonal antibodies and vaccines for the prominent Zaire strain of ebolavirus, it often warns of a lack of approved medical countermeasures for rarer strains such as the Bundibugyo virus.

Published – 24 May 2026 10:34 IST