Centre asks States to step up Ebola preparedness after WHO-declares global health emergency

Key points

• Following the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) declaration of the ongoing Ebola Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on Sunday (May 17, 2026), the Centre has directed all States and Union Territories to strengthen surveillance, hospital preparedness and rapid response systems.
• In a communication to States, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said countries bordering the affected regions, including South Sudan, were at high risk of transmission, though the present risk to countries outside the affected African region remained low.
• The Secretary, however, cautioned that growing international trade and travel necessitated “adequate preparedness and response capacities at all levels of the health system”.
• Unusual clusters of fever States have been asked to intensify surveillance under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) for unusual clusters of fever and symptoms suggestive of Ebola Disease, particularly among individuals with recent travel...