India issues a travel advisory advising citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak. The advisory follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of the situation as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations on the outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain. Multiple reports note that Uganda has recorded new cases of the Bundibugyo strain, while the DRC sees a rise in fatalities.
Indian government guidance also cites WHO emergency-related temporary recommendations aimed at strengthening surveillance at points of entry to better detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection. India’s health ministry points out that the outbreak is caused by a virus species for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatments. Reported figures vary by outlet and date, but all describe a death toll that is in the low-to-mid hundreds and total cases, including suspected and confirmed, that are in the hundreds. The advisory is issued as authorities continue to monitor the evolving situation.
