Ebola outbreak 2026: How the virus spreads, key symptoms to watch for, and why experts say India should not panic
Ebola virus disease: How it spreads, symptoms to watch for, and why experts say there is no need to panic - Let's learn it all from an expert who deals with infectious diseases.
The recent Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda (parts of Africa) has once again raised global health concerns, prompting questions about how the virus spreads and whether countries outside the affected regions should be worried. Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a rare but severe infection caused by the Ebola virus, which belongs to a family of viruses known to cause serious illness in humans and non-human primates. The virus is believed to originate in animals, particularly fruit bats, and can spread to humans through direct contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids. While Ebola has one of the highest fatality rates among infectious diseases, experts stress that it is not easily transmitted and outbreaks have historically remained largely confined to African countries.
In an exclusive interaction with TheHealthSite.com, Dr. Divya K. S., Infectious Diseases Specialist at Apollo Hospitals, Seshadripuram, Bengaluru, explained how the virus spreads, its symptoms, and why the risk to India currently remains very low.
What Is Ebola Virus Disease?
Ebola virus disease is a type of infection caused by the Ebola virus. First identified in the year 1976 near the Ebola river, this virus comes with 70-90% fatality rate. The primary carrier of this virus is the fruit bats, and it comes with the ability to evade the human immune system and trigger severe respiratory illnesses.
"We have to understand that this infection is largely restricted to the African countries."
What Are The Symptoms of Ebola Virus Infection?
Ebola disease typically begins like any viral fever anybody would have experienced like sudden onset of high-grade fever, severe body aches, severe headache, and tiredness. Patients may go on to develop vomiting, diarrhoea and pain in the tummy.
In severe cases, in complicated cases, patients may develop bleeding from anywhere and hence the name Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Patients can also develop other organ involvement what we say multi organ dysfunction like liver failure, renal failure and death in severe cases.
How Does Ebola Spread?
Ebola spreads only through direct contact with blood and infected body fluids like vomitus, stool, urine, saliva or any other body fluids of a person who is already showing symptoms or contact with any dead body who probably had Ebola.What is more important to us is how it does not spread. Unlike COVID, it is not an airborne disease. So it does not spread through air.
Unlike COVID, Ebola does not spread by casual contact by just touching the patient or sitting next to them because we have to be in contact with the body fluids. Just a casual touching or just sitting next to them or sitting in the same room, it does not spread. So that is where we have to stress on how the public should not panic regarding its spread.
No special precautions are needed beyond being aware to know whether somebody known to you has actually travelled to Uganda or Democratic Republic of Congo where the epicentre is right now in the last 21 days.
Ebola Transmission: Why Travel History Matters
If you are someone who has travelled from there in the last 21 days, do monitor yourself for fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhoea. If any of these are there, report to a hospital and be open about your travel history to these two countries and avoid any very close physical contact with the family members until you have been sorted out. For general public at this time with no travel history, just standard hygiene applies.
"There is nothing more required considering as I said, it is not an airborne disease. Just you know general washing hands and staying safe is what is required. Again, Ebola is something which has time and again has broken out only in the African countries and it does not arise spontaneously in countries where it has not been reported".
She further explained that for the virus to come from DRC to Uganda, we need to have a patient who travelled to these countries and carry that virus to our country. And hence the travel history in the last 21 days matters because its incubation period is anywhere between 21 days. Patients when they enter the country may not have had any symptoms if they are early in the incubation period, but up to 21 days is when anytime in the 21 days is when they can develop it and hence travel history becomes very important.
Testing for Ebola is done by a method called PCR which will be done on a blood sample. It is as of now not readily available as of now considering we do not have any reported cases outside Africa. When it is required, it will be made available.
According to Dr. Divya, there is currently no reason for panic. "The risk to people in India remains very low. Ebola is not airborne and is not easily transmitted. For the virus to spread in India, it would first need to be brought into the country by an infected traveller, and transmission would require direct contact with infected bodily fluids," she says.
For the general public, experts recommend maintaining good hygiene practices, washing hands regularly, and staying informed through reliable health updates. Awareness is important, but panic is not warranted, especially given the low risk of community transmission.
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