3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 24, 2026 12:18 PM IST
With the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Sunday issued an advisory, asking Indian citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the affected countries, including South Sudan, until further notice.
However, India has not reported any case of Ebola Disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain so far.
The government has advised Indian citizens residing in or travelling to the affected countries to follow local public health guidelines and maintain precautions, according to a press release.
They should avoid contact with symptomatic persons and seek immediate medical attention in case of fever or related symptoms, the advisory suggested.
Countries bordering the DRC and Uganda, including South Sudan, have been assessed to be at high risk of disease transmission, it highlighted.
Moreover, no vaccines or specific treatments have been approved yet to prevent or treat the disease, it mentioned. WHO advisor Dr Vasee Moorthy this week announced that two possible vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain were being worked on, however, neither of these strains has been tested in clinical trials yet, reported the BBC.
The advisory comes after the WHO issued temporary recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance.
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Travellers arriving from areas with reported Bundibugyo virus detection at Points of Entry will be assessed, managed, and detected for unexplained febrile illness, the WHO had stated in its advisory, cited by the Indian government.
The global health agency also discouraged travel to areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection, the press release stated.
Aside from the WHO declaration, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has officially declared the Bundibugyo strain Ebola Virus Disease outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), the release added.
The WHO regional director for Africa Friday said it would be a mistake to underestimate the risk posed by the Ebola outbreak. He also warned that just one case could spread the virus beyond DRC and Uganda.
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The Ebola outbreak has so far resulted in 160 suspected deaths out of 670 suspected cases, and 61 of the cases are confirmed, according to DRC health ministry data released on Thursday, news agency Reuters quoted.
Two cases have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, the report stated.
