Ministry of Civil Aviation & DIAL Launch AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Portal for Ebola Health Screening at Points of Entry (PoEs) in India

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) launched AIR SUVIDHA 2.0, an upgraded contactless Passenger Health Self-Declara...

What Happened

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) launched AIR SUVIDHA 2.0, an upgraded contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal, in response to the ongoing Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak.
The launch follows the WHO's declaration of the Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17, 2026, under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.
Passengers arriving from international destinations under the screening protocol must now submit a mandatory online Health Self-Declaration before immigration clearance, covering travel history over the past 21 days and any Ebola exposure or symptoms.
The portal was developed in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and enables real-time sharing of passenger data with Airport Health Officers, the Bureau of Immigration, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), and State Surveillance Officers.
The portal is accessible at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in; the Self-Declaration Form (SDF) can be submitted up to 24 hours before arrival in India.

Static Topic Bridges

International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005

The International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 are a binding international legal framework adopted by 196 countries (194 WHO Member States plus two additional states) to prevent, protect against, control, and respond to the international spread of disease. They establish the rights and obligations of states during public health risks and emergencies with international implications. A cornerstone of the IHR is the concept of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) — defined as "an extraordinary event that constitutes a public health risk to other states through international spread and may require a coordinated international response."

IHR 2005 replaced the older International Sanitary Regulations and came into force in June 2007.
Under IHR, states must notify WHO of any PHEIC-qualifying events using a decision algorithm (Annex 2).
States Parties must develop and maintain core capacities for public health surveillance and response, including at designated Points of Entry (airports, seaports, ground crossings).
Only the WHO Director-General can declare a PHEIC, based on recommendations of an Emergency Committee.
Previous PHEICs: H1N1 (2009), Ebola (2014 West Africa), Polio (2014), Zika (2016), Ebola DRC (2019), COVID-19 (2020), Mpox (2022, 2024).

Connection to this news: India's launch of AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 is a direct implementation of its IHR obligations — specifically the requirement to maintain surveillance capacity at Points of Entry (international airports) to screen for PHEIC-related threats.

Points of Entry (PoE) Surveillance under IHR

Points of Entry (PoE) under IHR 2005 refer to designated airports, seaports, and land crossings where international travel and trade occur. States must ensure these points have designated health authorities, facilities for medical examination, isolation and quarantine capacity, and systems to communicate health information with relevant national and international authorities. Airport Health Officers (AHOs) are the designated officials at Indian international airports responsible for implementing IHR obligations at PoEs.

India's PoEs under IHR include all major international airports and seaports.
The PoE surveillance framework integrates Airport Health Officers, Bureau of Immigration, and IDSP for multi-agency coordination.
Health self-declaration forms at PoEs were used extensively during COVID-19 (the original AIR SUVIDHA portal) and are now being redeployed for Ebola screening.
The 21-day travel history requirement aligns with the Ebola virus incubation period (2 to 21 days).

Connection to this news: AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 replaces a paper-based declaration process with a digital, contactless system — improving speed, data quality, and real-time sharing with the IDSP and state surveillance systems, consistent with IHR PoE capacity standards.

Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)

The IDSP is India's decentralised surveillance system for early detection and rapid response to disease outbreaks. Launched in 2004 under the National Health Mission (NHM) framework, IDSP collects weekly disease surveillance data (S, P, and L reports — Suspected, Probable, Laboratory-confirmed) from community, health facility, and laboratory levels across all states and Union Territories. Its central unit at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) coordinates outbreak investigations.

IDSP is the primary mechanism through which India tracks disease trends at the district, state, and national level.
During outbreak response, IDSP provides the link between PoE surveillance and domestic health infrastructure.
Real-time passenger data from AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 feeds into IDSP, enabling state surveillance officers to monitor potentially exposed travellers.

Connection to this news: The integration of AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 with IDSP closes the data loop between international PoE screening and domestic disease surveillance, a critical requirement under IHR 2005's core capacity standards.

Ebola and Bundibugyo Virus Disease

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness caused by Ebola virus, a member of the Filoviridae family. Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD) is caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a distinct species within the same family, first identified in Uganda in 2007. Transmission occurs through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of infected persons or animals. The natural reservoir is believed to be fruit bats. There is no approved treatment; supportive care and experimental antivirals are used. An approved vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV, brand name Ervebo) exists for Zaire ebolavirus but has variable efficacy against other species.

Incubation period: 2 to 21 days (reason for 21-day travel history requirement in screening).
CFR (case fatality rate): 25% to 90% depending on strain and healthcare access.
Current outbreak (2026): Bundibugyo virus strain in DRC and Uganda; South Sudan assessed as high-risk due to shared borders.
Declared PHEIC by WHO Director-General on May 17, 2026.

Key Facts & Data

Portal: AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 — airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in
Launched by: Ministry of Civil Aviation and DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited).
Legal/policy basis: International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 (196 countries, binding).
WHO PHEIC declaration for Ebola/BVD: May 17, 2026 (DRC and Uganda).
Virus strain: Bundibugyo ebolavirus (distinct from Zaire ebolavirus of 2014 West Africa outbreak).
Incubation period screened for: 21 days of travel history.
Data-sharing partners: Airport Health Officers, Bureau of Immigration, IDSP, State Surveillance Officers.
Self-Declaration Form (SDF) can be filled up to 24 hours before arrival in India.
Key IHR concept: PHEIC — "an extraordinary event constituting a public health risk to other states through international spread, potentially requiring coordinated international response."