India has introduced a mandatory health declaration for all international air passengers as part of its response to the current outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola in parts of Africa. The form asks travellers to fill out personal details, seat numbers, symptoms, recent travel, and possible exposures. Although it appears to be a sensible precaution, whether it will meaningfully reduce the risk of a patient with Ebola entering India is unclear.

Traveller questionnaires have long been part of the public health response in India to emerging infectious diseases but their effectiveness depends on whether the information provided is accurate. At Indian airports, immigration officials collect forms with little opportunity to verify answers. Travellers forget details, misunderstand questions, or simply choose not to disclose information that they think could delay their journey. The current form is also lengthy and cumbersome, increasing the likelihood of incomplete or unreliable responses.

Even accurate information is useful only if it is digitised, linked to reliable contact details, and integrated into a surveillance system capable of tracing travellers in the even that a case is later identified. It is unclear whether the current system is able to do this.

The further question is whether the disease itself can realistically be detected at the border. Ebola cannot. The current concern is Bundibugyo ebolavirus, responsible for outbreaks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Bundibugyo strain has a 21 day incubation period before........

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