Africa summit in India postponed over Ebola outbreak fears

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Next week’s India-Africa Forum Summit has been cancelled due to the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

The fourth edition of the summit, which fosters diplomatic interactions between India and countries of the African continent, was set to be held in Delhi from 28-31 May after more than a decade.

On Thursday, India and the African Union said in a joint statement that the summit was being postponed due to the “emerging public health situation in the continent” and that a new date would be announced later.

The move comes days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the latest Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

According to WHO, there have been 600 suspected cases of Ebola so far and 139 suspected deaths.

The cases have been confined to the African continent so far, but experts say the latest outbreak is challenging because it involves a rare species of Ebola for which there is no vaccine, and the epicentre is in an area affected by conflict.

Ebola is a rare but deadly disease caused by a virus.

Ebola viruses normally infect animals, typically fruit bats, but outbreaks among humans can sometimes start when people eat or handle infected animals.

It takes two to 21 days for symptoms to appear. They come on suddenly and start like the flu or malaria, with fever, headache and tiredness.

As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.

The virus spreads from one person to another by contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.

Ebola outbreaks used to be small and contained to remote rural areas. However, urbanisation is pushing larger populations closer to these natural reservoirs of Ebola and increasing the risk of transmission.

Though no Ebola cases have been reported from India, on Thursday, 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.

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