Avoid Non-Essential Travel: India Issues Ebola Advisory for Congo, Uganda, South Sudan as Cases Cross 867

India's Health Ministry issued a formal travel advisory asking all citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan until further notice, as a rare and deadly strain of Ebola virus tears through Central Africa with alarming speed.

The advisory comes as the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists has hit DRC, Uganda, and neighbouring South Sudan, with Africa CDC officially declaring the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. 867 suspected cases and at least 204 deaths have been reported, and experts warn the true number of infections likely considerably exceeds official figures.

The outbreak has now spread across three DRC provinces Ituri, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu and five cases linked to DRC have been confirmed in Uganda's capital Kampala. An American national working in DRC has also tested positive and been transferred to Germany for care. The cross-border spread is precisely what health officials feared most.

The first known case dates to April 24 , when a health worker in Bunia reported fever, hemorrhaging, vomiting and intense malaise and died. Four more health workers died within days before anyone knew what they were dealing with. The outbreak had already reached hundreds of suspected cases by the time it was first formally reported, a deeply concerning head start for a virus with a fatality rate estimated between 25% and 50%.

India has reported zero cases so far , but the government has postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit, which was scheduled to begin in Delhi on May 28. Airports have been placed on heightened surveillance alert for travellers arriving from affected regions.

The world learned hard lessons from delayed responses to past outbreaks. This time, the clock started ticking weeks before anyone noticed.