India has tightened Ebola surveillance at airports and other points of entry after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in parts of Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), while health authorities issued a fresh advisory for travellers from affected countries.
The Directorate General of Health Services, under the Union health ministry, has asked passengers arriving from or transiting through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan to immediately report to airport health officers if they develop symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, headache, sore throat, muscle pain or unexplained bleeding.
The advisory, issued by the Airport Health Organisation, also directs travellers who had direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a suspected or confirmed Ebola patient to report to airport health desks before immigration clearance. Passengers who develop symptoms within 21 days of arrival have been told to seek immediate medical care and inform healthcare authorities about their travel history.
Health officials said no Ebola case has been reported in India so far, but surveillance and preparedness measures are being strengthened as a precautionary step. Earlier reports said the ministry had reviewed screening, quarantine, laboratory preparedness and isolation arrangements at major airports and ports, with the National Institute of Virology in Pune identified for testing support.
Ebola is a severe viral disease that spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and contaminated surfaces, not through the air. The latest move reflects India’s effort to prevent importation of the infection while keeping passengers and frontline health workers alert to symptoms and exposure risks.
The fresh advisory comes as global health agencies continue to monitor outbreaks in Africa, where suspected and confirmed cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Indian authorities said the country’s public health system remains on alert and that preparedness measures will continue to be intensified at airports, seaports and land borders.
