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

The Indian government 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 Ministry of Health’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”.

Previously, the apex health institute declared the central Africa outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Officials revised the risk to “very high” nationally in the DRC and “high” regionally, though global risk remains “low”.

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

As of Saturday (May 23, 2026), the total reported death toll from the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola 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 instituted strict screening protocols at all major international gateways, including Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, to intercept potential cases of the strain.

This includes targeted surveillance specifically for travellers arriving from or transiting through high-risk nations including DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan, flights operating on these routes are to make mandatory in-flight health announcements and distribute Self-Declaration Forms (SDF) and passengers must report to the Airport Health Officer (APHO) or health desk before clearing immigration if they exhibit symptoms or had direct contact with the bodily fluids of a suspected Ebola patient.

Additionally, the Health Ministry has also started physical screening where entry points will use 24/7 thermal screening and visual monitoring to capture febrile illness. Airports are also equipped with dedicated isolation bays and rapid-response ambulances to instantly isolate and transfer symptomatic individuals to designated hospital wards.

The Ministry maintained that all inbound passengers from target zones are legally required to self-monitor for 21 days and if symptoms emerge, they must seek immediate medical care and fully disclose their travel history

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

The WHO consistently emphasizes that controlling Ebola relies heavily on rapid surveillance, contact tracing, and community engagement.

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