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Op-Ed MAY 29, 2026 | The Indian Eye 12

New Disease Outbreaks Show Why

Global Health Vigilance Still Matters

From Ebola in Africa to hantavirus on a cruise ship, recent outbreaks underline the need for

stronger surveillance, faster response systems and global cooperation

ASHISH K TRIPATHI tions. That failure delayed recogni-
tion of the outbreak and potentially
he world spent years believing increased exposure risks.
that the trauma of COVID-19 The broader challenge is that
Twould permanently transform many of these diseases originate in
global preparedness for infectious the complex interaction between
diseases. Yet recent outbreaks of Eb- humans, animals and changing eco-
ola in Africa and hantavirus linked to systems. Ebola is believed to spread
an international cruise ship suggest through contact with infected wild-
that humanity may still be dangerous- life. Hantaviruses are primarily
ly vulnerable to emerging pathogens, transmitted through rodents. Cli-
delayed responses and uneven health mate shifts, deforestation and ex-
systems. panding human activity increasingly
The threats are different from bring populations into closer contact
COVID-19 in scale and transmission, with animal carriers.
but together they reveal a worrying That means future outbreaks
reality: the next global health crisis may become more frequent.
may not emerge from one single vi- Globalisation further magnifies
rus. the risk. A virus can now move across
The latest Ebola outbreak in The WHO has responded aggressively to the Ebola crisis, deploying laboratory teams, mobile continents within hours through
Democratic Republic of the Congo labs and emergency medical supplies (File photo) tourism, migration and trade net-
and Uganda underlines the continu- works. The MV Hondius outbreak
ing danger posed by deadly zoonot- showed how a single voyage could in-
ic diseases. According to the World highly connected world. people linked to the voyage — a volve South America, Europe, Africa
Health Organization, 528 suspected India’s response illustrates the Dutch couple and a German nation- and North America simultaneously.
cases and 132 deaths had been re- global ripple effect of regional epi- al — died after developing severe re- So, what can be done?
ported by May 18. demics. Although there are no Ebola spiratory illness. First, governments must invest
The outbreak, caused by the cases in India, the Health Ministry The incident exposed how mod- consistently in public-health infra-
Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, has already strengthened surveil- ern travel can rapidly internationalise structure rather than reacting only
was serious enough for the WHO lance through agencies such as the even rare diseases. Passengers from during emergencies. Surveillance
to declare it a public health emer- National Centre for Disease Control multiple countries disembarked systems, laboratories, quarantine fa-
gency of international concern. The and the Integrated Disease Surveil- across continents, forcing govern- cilities and rural healthcare networks
numbers alone are alarming, but the lance Programme. Officials stressed ments to coordinate tracing, quaran- remain weak in many countries.
deeper concern lies in the difficulties that the risk remains minimal but ad- tine and monitoring operations. The Second, international coopera-
health authorities continue to face in mitted that precautionary measures United States transported potential- tion must improve. Diseases do not
containing such outbreaks. are necessary. ly exposed passengers to Nebraska, respect borders, yet global health
WHO said contact tracing re- That caution reflects a lesson home to its specialised biocontain- responses often remain fragmented
mained “challenging” in parts of the world learned painfully during ment facility previously used for Eb- and politicised. Faster data sharing,
Congo because of insecurity and COVID-19: distance offers little ola and early COVID-19 patients. coordinated travel protocols and
movement restrictions. Even after protection in an age of international The response was notably stronger WHO support mechanisms
the lessons of COVID-19, the ba- mobility. more organised than the confu- are essential.
sic pillars of outbreak management The hantavirus outbreak linked sion seen during the early weeks Third, countries must prepare
— testing, surveillance, tracing and to the cruise ship MV Hondius of the coronavirus pandemic. for zoonotic spillovers by strength-
community engagement — remain demonstrates that point even more Quarantine protocols, special- ening environmental monitoring and
fragile in many regions. starkly. What began as a cluster of ised isolation units and coordinat- regulating activities that increase
The WHO has responded ag- illnesses on a ship travelling from ed international communication contact between humans and dis-
gressively, deploying laboratory South America to Europe quickly were activated relatively quickly. ease-carrying wildlife.
teams, mobile labs and emergency triggered a multinational health re- Still, the outbreak also revealed Finally, public trust matters as
medical supplies. More than 17 tons sponse involving the WHO, the Unit- the limits of preparedness. much as medical technology. WHO’s
of protective equipment, medicines ed States and several other countries. The WHO noted that the first emphasis on “community engage-
and field supplies were sent to affect- The outbreak involved the An- death aboard the ship was not ini- ment” during the Ebola response is
ed areas. Yet the outbreak demon- des strain of hantavirus, a rare but tially linked to hantavirus because critical because misinformation, fear
strates how quickly local crises can dangerous variant capable of hu- no samples were collected and symp- and distrust can undermine contain-
become international concerns in a man-to-human transmission. Three toms resembled other viral infec- ment efforts faster than any virus.

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