Ebola outbreak: How many Indians are at risk in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo?

On Wednesday (May 27), India received an Ebola scare when a 28-year-old woman showed symptoms of the condition, prompting authorities in Bengaluru to isolate her. Hours later, a medical test emerged negative, a huge relief for health authorities.

While this episode gives India a sense of relief, it also shines a spotlight on the many Indians who may be at risk of contracting the disease as they continue to live in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, considered the epicenter of this Ebola outbreak.

Let’s take a deep dive.

Ebola scare in India

On Wednesday, India had an Ebola scare after a 28-year-old Bengaluru woman, who travelled from Uganda, was put under isolation after she exhibited Ebola symptoms. Following a complaint of body ache, she was shifted to the state-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru as a precautionary measure amid heightened global concern over the outbreak.

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According to Bengaluru District Surgeon and Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Anil Kumar Banagar, the woman had recently travelled from Uganda to Ahmedabad and had later arrived in Bengaluru.

Although she did not show symptoms during airport screening, health authorities continued to monitor her because of her travel history from an Ebola-affected region. “The District Surveillance team and airport health officials were tracking her condition. She developed a mild body ache nearly 24 hours later, following which samples were collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune,” Dr Banagar was quoted as telling The Hindu.

Subsequently, a sample was sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for laboratory testing. “The test result has returned negative for Ebola virus disease,” said the health ministry, adding, “No case of Ebola virus disease has been confirmed in India.”

A sanitation worker from the Bunia city government sprays chlorine to disinfect the central market, as Ituri province continues to combat an Ebola outbreak, in Bunia, Congo. AP

Indians in Uganda

The Ebola scare in India, courtesy of the woman returning from Uganda, led many to ask: How many Indians are in the African nation?

According to the Ministry of External Affairs data published in 2025, Uganda is home to 35,000 Non-Resident Indians, 2,660 Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), and 37,660 Overseas Indians. This amounts to more than 40,000 Indians in the African nation.

Many Indians were brought to Uganda in 1894, while it was under British rule, to build railways. By the 1960s, this number had peaked to anywhere between 80,000 and 1,00,000. However, during the reign of Idi Amin in the early 70’s, around 60,000 Indians/PIOs were expelled. Many Indian families in Uganda became refugees and relocated to the United Kingdom and Canada.

It was only in 1986, when Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was voted into power, that he invited the Indians back. Today, despite being less than one per cent of the population, Indians are estimated to contribute up to 65 per cent of Uganda’s tax revenues.

Indians living in Uganda play a significant role in the Ugandan economy, especially in sectors such as manufacturing, trade, agro-processing, banking, sugar, real estate, hotels, tourism, and information technology. In addition to being one of the biggest taxpayers in the country, these Indians also provide jobs to thousands of Ugandans.

Desis in Democratic Republic of Congo

Indians also have a significant representation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak. Data shows that there are another 40,000 Indians in DRC — 15,000 of them being NRIs, 5,000 being PIOs, and the remaining are overseas Indians.

The Indian diaspora is among the largest expat communities in the country. Most of them hail from the state of Gujarat, while there’s also a small Ismaili community. They are engaged mainly in the sectors of mining, hospitality, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, construction, and FMCG goods.

Interestingly, there are two Hindu temples in the DRC — one in the capital city of Kinshasa and one in the city of Lubumbashi.

Ebola outbreak and the race to contain it

So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there are more than 900 suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with another seven in Uganda. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also warned that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts.

Earlier, the WHO declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo ​strain of Ebola, the third-largest such outbreak on record, a public health ​emergency of international concern.

What is making the situation even worse is the shortage of basic supplies as well as attacks on facilities. In the northeastern province of Ituri, where the first Ebola cases were reported, attacks have taken place on the Ebola centres. Some were perpetrated by civilians who were angry about not being able to bury their loved ones or were convinced that the outbreak was a hoax.

This outbreak has prompted a response from other nations as well. Canada has mandated that travellers from Ebola-affected regions will be required to self-isolate for 21 days, and immigration authorities are temporarily suspending decisions on applications from Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda.

Thailand has also imposed a 21-day quarantine order for people travelling from or having transited through the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda. The Bahamas has also temporarily banned residents from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.

With inputs from agencies