Ebola outbreak (Image credit: AP)
Hours after the Indian government issued a travel advisory asking citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has announced that India has sent emergency medical assistance to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, “🇮🇳 dispatched the first tranche of urgent medical supplies and protective kits to @AfricaCDC today.”Jaishankar also said that India is committed to support Africa in responding to the emerging Ebola public health emergency. Ebola outbreak spreads across Central AfricaThe development comes as the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa continues to escalate, with Congo reporting nearly 867 suspected cases and 204 deaths as of Saturday, according to the health ministry.The outbreak has now spread across three provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the first confirmed case detected in South Kivu.Two Ebola cases, including one death, have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda after infected individuals travelled from the DRC.WHO declared Ebola ‘public health emergency’The World Health Organization, on May 17, 2026, declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations, 2005. The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no specific vaccine.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the outbreak as “especially challenging,” citing ongoing fighting, displacement of people, the transient population of miners, and significant distrust of outside authorities among the local population.
