New Delhi: As the World Health Organization announced on Sunday Ebola outbreak Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in Congo and Uganda, Indian health experts said there is no need to panic as Ebola does not spread like COVID-19, however vigilance and early detection is important.Health ministry officials said no case of Ebola has ever been reported in India, except for one international traveler who tested positive in 2014. The National Center for Disease Control is closely monitoring the situation.Former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said Ebola is spread through direct contact with infected body fluids, blood, vomit, secretions or contaminated material, while Covid-19 is spread through regular droplets.Guleria said, “There is no need to panic.” He said Ebola requires close physical contact to spread and hence is unlikely to cause a pandemic like COVID-19.Recalling India’s preparedness during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Guleria said officials had conducted workshops and screening exercises across the country. He also mentioned an Indian traveler returning from Sierra Leone who was quarantined in Delhi after recovering from Ebola after viral particles were confirmed in body fluid samples. The person remained in isolation for about three months as a precaution, although no transmission occurred.Guleria said Ebola outbreaks are often linked to infected fruit bats or wild animals and can also spread during handling of infected carcasses. He stressed that it is important to screen travelers coming from affected areas and monitor them during the incubation period of up to 21 days.Experts said India has the laboratory capacity to rapidly detect Ebola through specialized RT-PCR testing at designated centers under the Indian Council of Medical Research and NCDC, although early clinical suspicion and prompt reporting are essential.“The overall risk is low, but in today’s interconnected world, infectious outbreaks are literally just a flight away,” said Dr. Neeraj Nischal, professor of medicine at AIIMS, underscoring the importance of airport surveillance, travel screening and emergency response systems.He said Ebola patients typically become infectious soon after symptoms begin, especially when fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bleeding develop. Health care workers and caregivers are at greater risk without adequate protective equipment and infection-control practices.Nischal said the early symptoms of Ebola can resemble other febrile or viral illnesses, making travel and exposure history important for diagnosis. He said contact tracing is one of the most effective ways to prevent transmission and added that lessons from Covid-19 – including surveillance, rapid testing and hospital preparedness – have strengthened India’s outbreak response capacity.“Public cooperation, honest reporting of travel history and timely medical consultation are important to prevent the outbreak from escalating,” he said.