India reports first suspected Ebola case after woman travels from Uganda

A 28-year-old woman who travelled to the Indian city of Bengaluru from Uganda has been placed in quarantine with a suspected case of Ebola.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated an epidemic of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda was a ‘public health emergency of international concern.’

Local authorities reported that the woman developed a mild body ache shortly after arriving in India. It was reported she had also transited through Ahmedabad in western India.

The National Institute of Virology for testing has confirmed that the woman’s test returned negative for Ebola.

Similarly, Anul Kumar Banagar, the medical superintendent of the state-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital, reported that she had shown no Ebola symptoms at the Indian airport after a screening.

However, for precautions, health officials have said she will isolate for 48 hours. She will only be released when she has tested negative for the disease a second time.

The Hindu quoted Dr Banagar: ‘The District Surveillance team and airport health officials were tracking her condition. She developed a mild body ache nearly 24 hours later, following which samples were collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.’

The doctor explained that even if the woman tests negative, protocol states a ‘repeat test will be conducted after 48 hours of observation.’

He reiterated: ‘She will be discharged only after testing negative twice.’

This potential spread comes after approximately 220 Ebola deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo after an outbreak was announced earlier this month.

Reports suggest the outbreak started several days or weeks before the Congolese authorities declared it.

Then, Ugandan health authorities reported on Monday that two new Ebola cases had been confirmed, increasing the number of infections to seven.

All have been linked to the outbreak in neighbouring Congo.

A ‘rare’ Ebola strain with no cure could also be in Europe, after a health alert was issued in northern Italy after two aid workers developed Ebola-like symptoms.

The aid workers, who returned to Lombardy after a three-month trip to Uganda, are now presenting with symptoms consistent with the disease, including fever, nausea, vomiting, and intestinal problems.

The workers have been transferred to a hospital in Milan, which is equipped to deal with high-risk infectious diseases.

Meanwhile, Lombardy’s regional welfare minister has attempted to stop worries that the deadly disease could spread.

He told a press conference: ‘There is still no certainty that this is Ebola. We are hopeful that they will be negative.’

The risk to the public remains low.

However, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the ongoing conflict has been compromising the outbreak response.

Ituri Province, in the northeast of the country, where most of the cases have been reported, has been under military rule since 2021.

The civilian authority was replaced by a military general to help disable the armed groups that operate in the region.

Despite this military rule, violence in the region has continued and intensified. Attacks by residents on makeshift hospitals in Ituri have risen in the last week.

This weekend, at least 18 people possibly infected with Ebola fled a hospital after it was attacked multiple times by grieving families.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation, said that the east of the DRC was at the centre of a ‘catastrophic collision of disease and conflict’ as the outbreak outpaced the response.

He said stopping the spread in the region ‘depends entirely on humanitarian access.’

However, Dr Ghebreyesus stated that ‘ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors.’

He added that frontline workers are ‘risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible.’