- India reports no Ebola cases and assesses risk as minimal despite WHO alert
- Health Ministry and agencies review Ebola situation linked to Central Africa outbreak
- Precautionary measures, lab testing, and traveler screening at airports are enhanced
Centre asserts there are no reported cases of Ebola virus in the country and that the current risk remains "minimal" in India, even as surveillance and preparedness measures have been intensified after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in parts of Central Africa, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, including teams from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), reviewed the evolving Ebola situation linked to the Bundibugyo virus strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
A senior Health Ministry official said that while there was no cause for alarm, precautionary measures were being strengthened "as a matter of abundant caution", asserting that India's public health system remains "vigilant and fully prepared" to deal with any emerging situation.
The Centre has reviewed standard operating procedures for screening, surveillance, quarantine and case management, while laboratory preparedness is also being ramped up. The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has been designated for Ebola testing, with additional laboratories expected to be onboarded in phases.
Authorities are also enhancing coordination with ministries and agencies to monitor international travellers arriving from affected regions, while isolation and quarantine facilities have been identified at major airports and ports.
"The government continues to maintain close coordination with international health authorities and will take all necessary measures to safeguard public health," the official said.
The Health Ministry also urged people and media organisations not to panic or spread unverified information, advising citizens to follow only official updates issued by the Ministry and the World Health Organization.
Ebola Virus Disease is a rare but severe viral haemorrhagic fever caused by infection with the Ebola virus. The disease was first identified in 1976 during outbreaks near the Ebola River in present-day Democratic Republic of Congo. It is considered one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, with some outbreaks historically recording fatality rates of up to 50 per cent or higher, according to the World Health Organization.
The virus spreads through direct contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions, or tissues of infected people, and can also spread through contaminated surfaces, medical equipment and infected animals such as fruit bats or primates. Unlike Covid-19, Ebola is not an airborne disease and does not spread through casual contact. Health experts say transmission is most common through close physical contact and inadequate infection-control practices.
Symptoms usually begin suddenly and include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, before progressing in severe cases to vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes, internal bleeding, organ failure, and shock. The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, one of the six known species of the virus that have caused outbreaks in Africa in the past.
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