File picture: Passengers arriving from Singapore being screened at Vijayawada International Airport in Gannavaram on Tuesday, as part of precautionary measures being taken in view of the Ebola outbreak in African countries. | Photo Credit: HANDOUT

As countries including India step up surveillance for the Ebola virus at ports of entry, an individual with a travel history from Uganda has tested negative for Ebola, according to a Health Ministry source.

“Exercising abundant caution, one individual with recent travel history from Uganda, who reported mild symptoms of body ache, was placed under isolation at the State-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru for observation and further evaluation,” the source said, adding that the individual remained otherwise healthy apart from mild body ache.

“A sample was collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for laboratory testing. The test result has returned negative for Ebola Virus Disease,” the source confirmed, reiterating that “no case of Ebola Virus Disease has been confirmed in India.”

The Health Ministry has been coordinating with the States to put in place surveillance and public health protocols, in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines, the representative said.  The WHO has designated the ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, a public health emergency of international concern – the highest alert from the UN Health agency. Subsequently, authorities in Africa, too, have sounded an alert on its spread. India has a travel advisory urging travellers to avoid non-essential travel to DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, high risk regions, following the outbreak.

Published on May 27, 2026