The India-Africa summit has been postponed due to concerns over the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Al Jazeera. A new case was reported in a rural area near the provincial capital of Bukavu, which fell into M23 hands in February 2025. The case marks an expansion of an outbreak that experts suspect had circulated for about two months in Ituri province before being detected last week.

Ebola spreads to M23-held areas

The Congolese authorities have yet to comment on the reported case. According to the M23 spokesman, the Bukavu case involved a 28-year-old person who had come from Kisangani, a major city in the eastern Tshopo province where no Ebola infections from the current outbreak have so far been recorded. The individual succumbed to the disease before the diagnosis was confirmed, the spokesman added.

Residents in Rwampara, a town at the center of the outbreak in Ituri, set fire to an Ebola treatment facility on Thursday after being prevented from taking the body of a local man. Health officials insist that burials of Ebola victims be conducted by specialized teams wearing protective gear. Traditional funeral practices, which often involve washing the body and large gatherings of mourners, are restricted. This sometimes causes tensions with local communities.

Ugandan measures and suspensions

Uganda has suspended all public transport to neighboring DRC. Ugandan authorities confirmed one Ebola death at the start of the outbreak, stating the case had originated from DRC. The body was repatriated for burial on the same day. On Thursday, a Ugandan health ministry official said that a second suspected case who had entered the country from Ituri had tested negative. The government is also suspending flights to DRC within the next 48 hours, said government spokesman Alan Kasujja.

Ebola symptoms and transmission

Ebola symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 21 days after infection and start like the flu or malaria, with fever, headache, and tiredness, according to the BBC. As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhea develop and can lead to organ failure. Some patients develop internal and external bleeding. The virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.

Historically, Ebola outbreaks were contained to remote rural areas, but urbanization is now pushing larger populations closer to these natural reservoirs, increasing the risk of transmission. Although no cases have been reported in India, the Directorate General of Health Services issued a health advisory for passengers arriving from or transitioning to Ebola-affected countries. Travellers were advised to immediately report to airport health authorities and seek medical care within 21 days if they show symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, or bleeding or if they had direct contact with infected persons.