New Delhi, May 24 -- As cases of Ebola, a severe and often fatal viral infection, spread across African countries last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) termed it an international public health emergency. While no cases have been reported in India so far, the government has stepped up screening and surveillance at airports, issued advisories to travellers, and postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit in Delhi.

Mint unpacks the concerns and the risks of a larger spread.

On 15 May, Africa's Centre for Disease Control (CDC) reported an outbreak of Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which soon spread to neighbouring Uganda. Soon after, the WHO termed it a public health emergency of international concern and warned o...