A suspected Ebola case has been reported in Bengaluru after a 28-year-old woman from Uganda was isolated at the Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Indiranagar following her arrival at Kempegowda International Airport on May 23, 2026. Blood and swab samples have been sent to the ICMR-National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmatory testing, with results expected shortly.
The woman arrived at KIA from Kampala and initially checked into the Royal Ace Boutique Hotel in the city. She subsequently developed mild body pain, following which health authorities shifted her to the Epidemic Diseases Hospital as a precautionary measure. Her condition is described as stable and no severe symptoms such as high fever, bleeding, or vomiting have been reported publicly.
The case is still classified as suspected and not confirmed. Mild body aches overlap with a range of common illnesses, but protocol requires mandatory isolation and testing for travellers arriving from Ebola-affected regions. Karnataka health authorities and central health officials are coordinating the response, with the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases also on standby as a designated isolation facility. Contact tracing for individuals she interacted with at the airport and the hotel is likely underway.
The development comes amid an active Ebola outbreak in parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with cross-border transmission links between the two countries. The World Health Organisation has raised alerts in response to the outbreak and India has heightened screening at international airports for travellers arriving from affected regions.
Health officials have urged the public not to panic, emphasising that the isolation and testing process is a standard precautionary response and does not indicate a confirmed case or an outbreak on Indian soil.