Next Stop: Sierra Leone and Liberia – Or a U-Turn to Safety? Senior Politicians and Diplomats at Risk in Virus Hot Zone

GG News Bureau 

New Delhi  25th :In a rapidly escalating biosecurity threat, India’s Group 4 All-Party Delegation, currently stationed in the Republic of Congo, faces imminent risk from a severe Mpox outbreak sweeping through Central and East Africa. Medical experts and global agencies are raising urgent alarms requesting in  immediately withdraw the delegation or change the routes  result in a national health emergency or  back home which way the MEA thinks is suitable.

The delegation, part of India’s high-stakes post-Operation Sindoor outreach to counter Pakistan’s global disinformation campaigns, is led by Dr. Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena) and includes Bansuri Swaraj (BJP), Mohammad Basheer (IUML), Atul Garg (BJP), Suman Kumari Mishra (BJP), former MP S.S. Ahluwalia, and senior diplomat Ambassador Sujan Chinoy.

Originally scheduled to continue to Sierra Leone and Liberia, the group’s mission now hangs in the balance as the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its starkest warning yet in its External Situation Report #52 (May 2025). The report confirms widespread human-to-human transmission of Mpox across multiple nations, including Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, the Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone — all destinations either already visited or planned in Group 4’s itinerary.

Most alarming, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — where Group 4 is presently active — has become the epicenter of the global Mpox crisis, with Clade Ia and Ib strains rapidly mutating and spreading across 10 provinces, including Kinshasa, now experiencing sustained viral transmission. The Clade Ib strain, specifically noted for its high transmissibility and pathogenicity, is the same variant causing mass infections in Sierra Leone.

Sources within the Indian diplomatic and public health machinery confirm that travel-linked Mpox cases have begun surfacing, raising fears of cross-border exposure. Health experts warn that even a single case among delegates could set off a domestic outbreak, especially considering India’s already overstretched public health infrastructure.

While Rwanda has launched emergency vaccinations and Liberia is distributing limited doses, containment across these nations remains patchy and underfunded. The Republic of Congo, where the delegation currently resides, lacks adequate isolation and tracking protocols, making the delegation’s presence exceptionally dangerous.

The government has so far remained tight-lipped, but behind the scenes, emergency meetings must be  called within the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Health, with growing concerns  from both medical and political quarters to change the routes or  call back the team immediately as the MEA thinks better .

“Diplomacy is important,” said one senior health official, “but no handshake is worth the price of a biosecurity breach.”