Govt closely monitoring Ebola situation; no confirmed case in India

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said it is closely monitoring the evolving situation of Ebola Virus Disease following recent outbreaks reported in parts of Africa.

The government stated that, while exercising abundant caution, it had placed an individual with recent travel history from Uganda under isolation at the state-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru after the person reported mild symptoms of body ache.

Officials clarified that the individual was otherwise healthy apart from mild body aches, and a sample was collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for laboratory testing. The test result has now returned negative for Ebola Virus Disease.

The Ministry, in coordination with concerned state authorities, said it is maintaining close surveillance and ensuring that all necessary public health protocols are being followed in accordance with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. It further confirmed that no case of Ebola Virus Disease has been confirmed in India.

Reiterating its preparedness, the government said screening and surveillance measures are continuing at all designated points of entry, including airports and border health facilities, as well as across the wider public health system. Citizens have been advised not to panic, avoid spreading misinformation, and rely only on official sources for updates.

Health authorities also emphasised that India remains vigilant in view of global disease patterns and continues to strengthen its early detection and response mechanisms to prevent any potential spread of infection.

Meanwhile, according to the latest statistics issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is likely much larger than currently confirmed figures, warning that active transmission continues to expand across affected regions.

Sharing an update on the outbreak in a post on X, Tedros said 101 cases have so far been confirmed in the DRC, including 10 confirmed deaths. However, he cautioned that the actual scale of the epidemic is significantly higher, with more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths under investigation.

He further noted that neighbouring nation Uganda has also reported fresh infections, including two additional confirmed cases among healthcare workers, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to seven, including one death.

He added that the WHO and partner agencies are scaling up response measures with global health teams working to intensify contact tracing and surveillance to identify infected individuals at the earliest and break chains of transmission.

IANS