The Union Health Ministry has stepped up surveillance and screening measures across airports after the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa
May 21, 2026: The Union Health Ministry has intensified surveillance measures across India following the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The Narendra Modi-led government is closely monitoring the evolving situation and has issued advisories to international airports, especially for passengers arriving from high-risk countries such as Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
Under the new guidelines issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), travellers showing symptoms linked to Ebola will undergo immediate medical screening before immigration clearance. Authorities have been instructed to monitor passengers reporting fever, headache, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, sore throat or unexplained bleeding. Airport Health Organisations have also been directed to identify and monitor individuals who may have come into contact with Ebola patients or infected bodily fluids.
Senior officials from the Health Ministry, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) have reviewed preparedness measures and strengthened public health monitoring systems. Officials clarified that no Ebola case has been detected in India so far and the current risk remains very low. However, travellers arriving from affected African nations have been advised to immediately seek medical attention if symptoms appear within 21 days of arrival and to disclose their travel history to health authorities.