India has deployed a significant upgrade to its pandemic-era border health surveillance infrastructure, launching the AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 portal on June 25, 2026, requiring every international traveller bound for India to complete a contactless, paperless health self-declaration before clearing immigration. The move comes in direct response to a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus — a strain for which no approved vaccine or targeted treatment currently exists.
What Triggered the Alert
On May 15, 2026, the health ministries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda simultaneously declared a Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak, following laboratory confirmation of cases in both countries. Two days later, on May 17, the WHO Director-General formally determined the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — the highest-level global health alert under the International Health Regulations 2005.
The numbers since have been alarming. As of June 24, the DRC Ministry of Health reported a total of 1,118 confirmed cases, including 291 deaths, with 408 individuals hospitalised in isolation. Ituri Province remains the epicentre, with 1,020 confirmed cases spanning 22 health zones. Cases have also been confirmed in France after a doctor who had been in the DRC on a humanitarian mission returned, making this a true international transmission event. Critically, no approved or licensed Bundibugyo-specific vaccines or therapeutics currently exist — a fact that sharply elevates the stakes of early detection at borders.
How AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Works
The upgraded portal, developed jointly by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, introduces a fully digital, end-to-end surveillance mechanism at India's Points of Entry.
The system builds on the original AIR SUVIDHA platform first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to manage passenger health screening. International passengers arriving in India are now required to submit a mandatory Self-Declaration Form (SDF) covering their 21-day travel history, exposure history, and any related symptoms — all online, before reaching Indian soil.
The form can be completed up to 24 hours before departure and is strongly recommended during web check-in. On arrival, travellers simply present the downloaded SDF at the International Travel Health Desk or the immigration counter — no physical paperwork required.
Crucially, the platform enables real-time data sharing among the Airport Health Officer, the Bureau of Immigration, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), and State Surveillance Officers — enabling rapid identification and referral of at-risk passengers without disrupting the broader flow of immigration for the travelling public.
India's Broader Public Health Architecture at Work
This activation of AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 signals a maturing of India's health emergency response infrastructure. The seamless integration of aviation, immigration, and public health agencies into a single, real-time surveillance loop represents precisely the kind of inter-agency coordination that global health bodies have long called for as a prerequisite for effective epidemic management at borders.
India's move also aligns with WHO's interim recommendations to member states following the PHEIC declaration, which urged governments to strengthen entry screening, implement health questionnaires, and ensure rapid referral mechanisms for suspect travellers. With South Sudan assessed as high risk and WHO having rated the outbreak as very high risk at the national level in DRC and high at the regional level, the threat to India — a country with high volumes of air traffic connecting to African hubs — is considered credible enough to warrant proactive intervention.
All international passengers are advised to access the portal at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in, complete the self-declaration truthfully, and carry the downloaded SDF while boarding.
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Below is the press release by PIB
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Developed in Collaboration with DGHS, AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Enables Real-Time Coordination Among Health, Immigration and Surveillance Agencies for Early Detection of At-Risk Travellers
Upgraded AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Introduces Fully Contactless and Paperless Health Self-Declaration for International Arrivals
International Travellers Can Submit Health Self-Declaration up to 24 Hours Before Arrival Through AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 for Faster Immigration Clearance
Developed in Collaboration with DGHS, AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Enables Real-Time Coordination Among Health, Immigration and Surveillance Agencies for Early Detection of At-Risk Travellers
Upgraded AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Introduces Fully Contactless and Paperless Health Self-Declaration for International Arrivals
International Travellers Can Submit Health Self-Declaration up to 24 Hours Before Arrival Through AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 for Faster Immigration Clearance
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) today launched AIR SUVIDHA 2.0, an upgraded contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal, to strengthen public health surveillance at Points of Entry in response to the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak.
The launch follows the WHO's declaration of the Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 17 May 2026 under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005. The current outbreak has been confirmed as Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), and countries bordering DRC and Uganda — including South Sudan — have been assessed as high-risk for transmission (as updated by WHO).
Developed in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the portal enables International arriving passengers to submit a mandatory online Health Self-Declaration — covering 21-day travel history, exposure history and related symptoms, if any — prior to immigration clearance. The portal enables real-time data sharing with the Airport Health Officer, Bureau of Immigration, IDSP and State Surveillance Officers, enables swift identification and referral of at-risk travellers- while keeping the arrival experience seamless and contactless, with no physical forms to fill on landing.
Airsuvidha Self Declaration Form (SDF) can be completed 24 hours in advance before arrival to India. Passengers are requested to fill the forms before boarding of the flight, during web check-in for swift clearance on arrival and only required to show the downloaded SDF at the International Travel Health Desk or Immigration counter.
All International travellers are requested to complete their Self-Declaration accurately and in advance, in the interest of passenger safety and Public Health.
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Link to PIB: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2277648®=48&lang=2
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Link to PIB: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2277648®=48&lang=2
