A 28-year-old woman who traveled from Uganda to the Indian city of Bengaluru has been placed in quarantine with a suspected case of Ebola, Indian health authorities reported. The case comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an epidemic of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a 'public health emergency of international concern' earlier this month.
Suspected Case Details
The woman developed a mild body ache shortly after arriving in India, according to local authorities. She had also transited through Ahmedabad in western India. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune confirmed that her initial test returned negative for Ebola. Dr. Anul Kumar Banagar, medical superintendent of the state-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital, stated that she showed no Ebola symptoms at the airport after screening. However, as a precaution, health officials have mandated a 48-hour isolation period. She will only be released after testing negative for the disease a second time.
Dr. Banagar told The Hindu: '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, Pune.' He explained that even if the woman tests negative, protocol requires a 'repeat test will be conducted after 48 hours of observation.' He reiterated: 'She will be discharged only after testing negative twice.'
Regional Outbreak Context
This potential spread comes after approximately 220 Ebola deaths were reported in the DRC following an outbreak announced earlier this month. Reports suggest the outbreak began several days or weeks before Congolese authorities declared it. Ugandan health authorities confirmed two new Ebola cases on Monday, raising the total number of infections to seven, all linked to the outbreak in neighboring Congo.
A 'rare' Ebola strain with no known cure could also be present in Europe. A health alert was issued in northern Italy after two aid workers who returned to Lombardy from a three-month trip to Uganda developed Ebola-like symptoms, including fever, nausea, vomiting, and intestinal problems. The workers have been transferred to a hospital in Milan equipped to handle high-risk infectious diseases. Lombardy's regional welfare minister sought to allay fears, stating: 'There is still no certainty that this is Ebola. We are hopeful that they will be negative.' The risk to the public remains low.
Challenges in the DRC
In the DRC, ongoing conflict has compromised the outbreak response. Ituri Province in the northeast, where most cases have been reported, has been under military rule since 2021. Despite this, violence has continued and intensified. Attacks by residents on makeshift hospitals in Ituri have risen in the past week. At least 18 people possibly infected with Ebola fled a hospital after it was attacked multiple times by grieving families.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said the east of the DRC is at the center of a 'catastrophic collision of disease and conflict' as the outbreak outpaces the response. He stated that stopping the spread 'depends entirely on humanitarian access,' but '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.'
What is Ebola?
Ebola virus disease is 'a serious, rare infection usually found in certain parts of Africa,' according to the NHS. It is typically caught by 'coming into contact with the body fluids of an infected person or wild animal.' Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, skin rash, yellowing of the skin and eyes, blood in stool, bruising, bleeding from ears, eyes, nose or mouth, muscle pain, sore throat, and bleeding from nose, gums or vagina.
