Ebola

Uganda national in Bengaluru tests negative for Ebola after isolation

A Uganda national with recent travel history from the East African nation has tested negative for Ebola after she was placed under isolation in Bengaluru as a precautionary measure when she reported mild symptoms of body ache, official sources said on Wednesday. The 28-year-old woman was placed under isolation at the state-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru for observation and further evaluation, the sources said. A sample was collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing, and the result has returned negative for Ebola virus disease (EVD), they said. "The individual is otherwise in a healthy condition now," a source said. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is closely monitoring the evolving Ebola situation following recent EVD outbreaks reported in parts of Africa, the sources said. In coordination with the concerned state authorities, the ministry is maintaining close surveillance and all necessary public health protocols are being .

Canada imposes 21-day self-isolation for travellers from Ebola-hit regions

The Canadian government said on Tuesday that travellers from Ebola-affected regions will be required to self-isolate for 21 days, and that immigration authorities are temporarily suspending decisions on applications from Congo, South Sudan and Uganda. Luc Brisebois, director-general for the Centre for Border and Travel Health at the Public Health Agency of Canada, said the measures are being implemented out of an "abundance of caution" and will stay in place until August 29. Travellers who have symptoms will be transferred to hospital for further medical assessment. The stricter border measures are being implemented starting Saturday, and those who do not have somewhere to isolate will be provided with a place. Canadian officials also said that starting Wednesday, they are pausing final decisions on immigration applications for people from affected countries for 90 days, though that could be extended or lifted based on the evolution of the outbreak. The outbreak is centred around .

DGCA issues Ebola SOP for airlines, mandates passenger screening

India's aviation regulator has directed airlines to collect self-declaration forms and monitor Ebola symptoms among passengers travelling from or transiting through Uganda and DRC

Congo Ebola outbreak is outpacing responders as patients flee clinics: WHO

Congo has reported 101 confirmed Ebola infections, 930 suspected cases and 221 suspected deaths, according to health ministry data released late Monday

Ebola outbreak is one danger, attacks on healthcare workers are another

Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat. One is the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola, with no vaccine or treatment. The other is the anger and suspicion of residents who have pelted her with stones and verbal abuse in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak. "We continue to tell them that the disease is out there. Some accept, and others don't," Birungi told The Associated Press on Monday as she and colleagues spoke with groups of people in a working-class neighborhood under the scorching sun. Aid workers are especially at risk in this volatile region where residents, like Birungi, have long been under threat of armed groups that have killed thousands of people and displaced many more in recent years. Trust is hard to find among the traumatised population that is wary of outsiders, even those trying desperately to contain the rapidl

How Congo is battling Ebola amid aid cuts, armed rebels, and anger

Arson attacks on Ebola treatment centers in eastern Congo underscore the serious challenges authorities face -- including a backlash in local communities -- as they try to stem an outbreak of the infectious disease that has been declared a global health emergency. On Sunday, Congolese authorities said suspected cases have now passed 900 in the east of the country, mainly in Ituri Province, where the ongoing outbreak is centered. The burning last week of the centers in two towns at the heart of the outbreak exposed the anger in a region beset by violence linked to armed rebel groups, the displacement of a large number of people, the failure of local government and international aid cuts that experts say have stripped health facilities in vulnerable communities. "A devastating set of emergencies are converging," the Physicians for Human Rights nonprofit said. Here's a look at the longstanding crises in eastern Congo that have made it home to one of the world's worst humanitarian ...

Govt advises citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda, Sudan

The Indian government has advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan in view of the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain in parts of Africa. The advisory comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 17 declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has also designated the outbreak affecting the DRC and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. According to the advisory issued by the Indian government on Saturday, the WHO's IHR Emergency Committee on May 22 issued temporary recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance at points of entry to "detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection" while discouraging travel to the

WHO declares Ebola outbreak 'health emergency' of international concern

India advises citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan amid evolving Ebola situation, following WHO recommendations

US to keep out green-card holders returning from Ebola-hit regions

CDC said in a statement that the rule won't permanently bar affected green-card holders but provides the agency with the authority to restrict entry when necessary

Ebola outbreak in Congo spreading rapidly amid treatment gaps, warns WHO

The agency upgraded its risk assessment to 'very high' in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths from the disease

WHO chief Adhanom says Ebola outbreak in Congo is 'spreading rapidly'

The head of the World Health Organisation says the Ebola outbreak in Congo is "spreading rapidly" and now poses a "very high" risk at the national level. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said Friday the UN health agency was revising upward to "very high" its assessment of the risk within Congo, which had previously been deemed as high. The risk remains high for regional spread and low at global levels, he told reporters. The WHO chief noted that 82 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with seven confirmed deaths, "but we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger." He said there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. The situation in neighbouring Uganda is "stable" with two cases confirmed in people who had travelled from Congo, with one death.

Ebola spreads silently through Congo's mines and conflict-hit regions

Population growth, climate change and rising human contact with wildlife are fuelling spread of animal-borne diseases like Ebola, though improved detection methods may explain some increase in cases

India-Africa Summit postponed as Ebola outbreak raises health concerns

India and the African Union defer the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit amid Ebola concerns, while India issues health advisories for travellers from affected nations

Delhi airport issues health advisory amid Ebola outbreak concerns

The advisory asked travellers coming from countries reporting Ebola cases, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, to remain vigilant

Ebola outbreak likely started months ago, spread undetected in Africa: WHO

First confirmed death took place April 20, and experts used social media posts to reconstruct the recent progress of the virus after the super-spreader event on May 5

Asian countries tighten precautions against Ebola after WHO declaration

Several govts have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travelers arriving from affected countries, though officials say no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia

WHO-Imperial College analysis suggests Congo Ebola outbreak undercounted

The analysis, based on case data collected through Saturday, found the outbreak was likely substantially larger than officially detected

Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 131, over 500 suspected cases reported

At least 131 deaths and over 500 suspected cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, the Congolese health ministry said Tuesday as details emerged about the government's delayed response. Samuel Roger Kamba, the minister of public health, said: "513 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been recorded in the affected areas." "These are suspected deaths, and investigations are underway to determine which ones are actually linked to the disease." The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected. Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, North Kivu's

Viral fears: Hantavirus and Ebola raise global health threat perceptions

The question is how far India is at risk, especially given India's public-health delivery mechanisms and the cocktail of unidentified viruses that circulate through its cities each summer and monsoon

Congo announces 3 Ebola treatment centres in Ituri amid ongoing outbreak

The Congolese health minister announced the opening of three treatment centres in the Ituri region in eastern Congo on Sunday evening as he visited the region amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak. "We know that the hospitals are already under stress because of the patients," said Samuel Roger Kamba, the health minister, while visiting Bunia, the capital and largest city in Ituri. "But we are preparing to have treatment centres at all three sites in order to be able to expand our capabilities." The World Health Organisation declared the Ebola disease outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths in Congo and two in neighbouring Uganda. Although the outbreak is centred in Ituri, cases have been reported in the capital, Kinshasa, and in Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo. In a separate statement on X on Sunday, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said that a team of 35 experts from the WHO and the Congolese ...