India-Africa Summit Called Off Over Ebola Crisis, New Date Awaited

New Delhi : India has postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit, which was scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from May 28 to 31, citing the escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

India and the African Union issued a joint statement on Thursday, saying the summit was being deferred due to the "emerging public health situation in the continent." A revised date is yet to be announced.

"The safety of delegates and public health must take precedence over diplomacy at this critical juncture," an MEA spokesperson said Thursday.

The decision follows the World Health Organization's declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — its highest level of global alert. WHO has recorded over 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths so far.

The fourth edition of the summit, the first in over a decade, was seen as a key platform for strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between India and African nations.

Health experts say the current outbreak is particularly difficult to contain because it involves a rare strain of Ebola for which no approved vaccine exists. The outbreak's epicentre is also located in a conflict-affected region, further complicating containment efforts.

Ebola spreads between people through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. Symptoms can take between two and 21 days to appear and include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

No Ebola cases have been reported in India. However, India's Directorate General of Health Services has issued a health advisory asking travellers arriving from Ebola-affected countries to report to airport health authorities and seek medical care within 21 days if they develop symptoms or have had contact with infected individuals.