A summit between India and the African Union that was scheduled to be held next week in New Delhi has been postponed amid an Ebola outbreak in Africa, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.The summit was to be held between May 28 and May 31 to strengthen political dialogue, economic cooperation, trade, investments, technology transfer and people-to-people relations.The external affairs ministry said that the decision was taken because of the “evolving health situation in parts of Africa”.The ministry added that it recognises “the importance of ensuring the full participation and engagement of African leaders and stakeholders”, which prompted discussions between the Union government, the chairperson of the African Union and the African Union Commission.“Following these consultations, the two sides agreed that it would be advisable to convene the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit at a later date,” the ministry said.It added that new dates for the summit would be announced after “mutual consultations”.On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said that there have been 600 suspected cases of Ebola and 139 suspected deaths, and that the numbers are expected to rise.On Sunday, the United Nations body had declared the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.The WHO said that the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency. However, the trends of suspected cases and clusters of deaths being reported “point towards a potentially much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant local and regional risk of spread”.Ebola is a virus that causes sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat in the initial stages. However, it escalates to vomiting, diarrhoea, internal and external bleeding. Infection occurs after coming into direct contact with the blood, vomit, faeces or bodily fluids of someone suffering from Ebola. Patients reportedly die due to dehydration and multiple organ failure.There is no proven cure for Ebola and the disease has an average fatality rate of about 50%, according to the World Health Organization.About 15,000 persons have died from the virus in Africa in the past 50 years. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s deadliest outbreak occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 persons died, while another outbreak in a remote region last year killed 45 people.Written by Sara Varghese. Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.