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Ebola alert at Indian ports, airports: Health Ministry puts out screening norms

Anyone travelling from or transiting through DR Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan and experiencing symptoms such as fever, weakness and fatigue, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, unexplained bleeding, and sore throat have been asked to report to the airport health officer or health desk before going to the immigration check.

3 min readMay 21, 2026 12:09 PM IST

As part of the advance preparation to meet any emergency situation, a 32-bed ward has been made operational at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and a 10-bed ward at Surat Civil Hospital, which are designated apex hospitals(File Photo)

Intensive screening of all passengers coming from Uganda, Congo and South Sudan is being done at the Ahmedabad International Airport from 06:00 pm to 10:00 am. (File Photo)

The Union Heath Ministry has issued advisory on Ebola for travellers from “high risk countries” to Indian ports, airports, and all points of entry to the country. Anyone travelling from or transiting through DR Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan and experiencing symptoms such as fever, weakness and fatigue, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, unexplained bleeding, and sore throat have been asked to report to the airport health officer or health desk before going to the immigration check.

Any person with a history of direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of a person confirmed or suspected to have Ebola should also reach out to the health authorities at the port of entry. The measures were taken as a matter of precaution. There are no ebola cases in the country as of now.

“Please cooperate with health screening and public health measures in the interest of passenger safety and international health regulation,” says the advisory, reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week sounded the alarm bells, declaring the ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Its senior officials have flagged the speed of the spread ever since the outbreak was detected. The Health Ministry has since conducted two meetings on the issue — one with its own officials and one with the states to check the preparedness levels.

During the high level meeting Health Secretary Puniya Salila Srivastava on Wednesday, States and Union Territories were advised to be ready on all fronts, with standard operating procedures shared covering pre-arrival and post-arrival screening, quarantine protocol, case management, referral mechanism, and laboratory testing. Srivastava emphasised the importance of coordinated surveillance, timely reporting, and preparedness of designated health facilities.

Also Read | What to know about Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola causing outbreak in Congo

Ebola is a zoonotic infection — caused by Orthoebolavirus family — that can be extremely fatal in humans. It can spread from humans to humans through direct contact with infected fluids such as blood, saliva, sweat, tears, vomit, faeces, and breast milk among others. It can also be transmitted by touching contaminated surfaces and contact with dead bodies of those who have died of the infection. While most of the symptoms of the disease are like flu — fever, headache, muscle and joint pains — unexplained internal and external bleeding is one of the distinct features of the disease.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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