India and the African Union have postponed the Fourth India–Africa Forum Summit scheduled for next week in New Delhi following the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The summit, originally fixed for May 28–31, was deferred after consultations between both sides over growing public health concerns linked to the outbreak.
In a statement, India’s foreign ministry said the postponement was necessary due to the “emerging public health situation on the continent,” adding that new dates would be announced later.
India also pledged support for efforts coordinated by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to contain the outbreak and strengthen public health preparedness across Africa.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in central Africa poses a high regional risk, although the global risk remains low. The organisation warned that the virus may have been spreading undetected for several months before the outbreak was officially declared in eastern Congo last Friday.
According to health authorities, the current outbreak — the 17th recorded in the DRC — is suspected to have caused about 139 deaths from roughly 600 probable cases so far.
Ebola, a highly contagious haemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s international airport has issued a health advisory for travellers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as neighbouring Uganda and South Sudan amid fears of possible cross-border spread.
