UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Ministry of Civil Aviation & DIAL Launch AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 Portal for Ebola Health Screening at PoEs in India

Q1. With reference to the AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 portal launched in June 2026, consider the following statements regarding the agencies and bodies associated with it: 1. The Ministry of Civil Aviation was one of the launching agencies of the portal. 2. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) served as the technical implementation partner. 3. The portal was developed in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. 4. The portal was developed exclusively by the Ministry of Civil Aviation without any involvement of health authorities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Ministry of Civil Aviation was one of the launching agencies of the portal.
  2. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) served as the technical implementation partner.
  3. The portal was developed in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
  4. The portal was developed exclusively by the Ministry of Civil Aviation without any involvement of health authorities.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. With reference to the AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 portal, consider the following statements: 1. It is a contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal for international arriving passengers. 2. Its re-launch was triggered by a WHO-declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern relating to Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease. 3. AIR SUVIDHA 1.0, its predecessor, was first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. 4. It is a portal exclusively for domestic passengers travelling between Indian airports. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It is a contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal for international arriving passengers.
  2. Its re-launch was triggered by a WHO-declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern relating to Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease.
  3. AIR SUVIDHA 1.0, its predecessor, was first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  4. It is a portal exclusively for domestic passengers travelling between Indian airports.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q3. With reference to the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005, consider the following statements about their framework and obligations: 1. They were adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2005 and are legally binding on States Parties. 2. They require States Parties to maintain core public health capacities at designated Points of Entry such as airports, ports and ground crossings. 3. The authority to determine a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) rests with the WHO Director-General. 4. A PHEIC can be declared only for diseases formally listed in an annex to the Regulations, and never for a newly emerging pathogen. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. They were adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2005 and are legally binding on States Parties.
  2. They require States Parties to maintain core public health capacities at designated Points of Entry such as airports, ports and ground crossings.
  3. The authority to determine a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) rests with the WHO Director-General.
  4. A PHEIC can be declared only for diseases formally listed in an annex to the Regulations, and never for a newly emerging pathogen.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. With reference to the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005, consider the following statements: 1. The Regulations entered into force in 2007 and are binding on all WHO Member States. 2. A Public Health Emergency of International Concern is defined as an extraordinary event constituting a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease. 3. The 2026 declaration of the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak as a PHEIC was made under Article 12 of the Regulations. 4. Designation of core capacities at Points of Entry is a recommendatory guideline that States Parties may adopt at their discretion. Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Regulations entered into force in 2007 and are binding on all WHO Member States.
  2. A Public Health Emergency of International Concern is defined as an extraordinary event constituting a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease.
  3. The 2026 declaration of the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak as a PHEIC was made under Article 12 of the Regulations.
  4. Designation of core capacities at Points of Entry is a recommendatory guideline that States Parties may adopt at their discretion.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q5. Which one of the following was the first-ever event to be declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005)?

  • A. H1N1 (swine flu) influenza pandemic, 2009
  • B. International spread of wild poliovirus, 2014
  • C. West Africa Ebola virus disease outbreak, 2014
  • D. Zika virus and associated microcephaly, 2016

Q6. Under the International Health Regulations (2005), the final authority to formally declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) rests with which one of the following?

  • A. The WHO Director-General
  • B. The IHR (2005) Emergency Committee
  • C. The World Health Assembly
  • D. The WHO Regional Director concerned

Q7. The Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV) vaccine, prequalified by the WHO in 2019, is licensed for the prevention of Ebola virus disease caused by which one of the following species?

  • A. Zaire ebolavirus
  • B. Sudan ebolavirus
  • C. Bundibugyo ebolavirus
  • D. Reston ebolavirus

Q8. In WHO reporting on the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, the two confirmed cases in Kampala were classified as "imported cases." In epidemiology, an imported case is best defined as which one of the following?

  • A. A confirmed case in a person who acquired the infection in another geographic area (here, the DRC) and was detected after travelling into the reporting location
  • B. A confirmed case in any foreign national diagnosed within the country, irrespective of where the infection was acquired
  • C. A case arising from contaminated goods or food imported from an outbreak-affected country
  • D. A case in a returning resident that necessitates importing vaccines or therapeutics from abroad to treat it

Q9. The 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is thought to have originated in a high-traffic mining area before spreading to neighbouring zones where patients sought care. Which single health zone in Ituri Province is identified by WHO as the origin (index) zone of this outbreak?

  • A. Mongbwalu
  • B. Rwampara
  • C. Bunia
  • D. Beni

Q10. With reference to India's disease surveillance architecture at international Points of Entry, consider the following statements about the institutional roles involved in passenger health screening such as under AIR SUVIDHA 2.0. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Airport Health Organisations (APHOs) function under the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
  2. The National Centre for Disease Control operates under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
  3. Health surveillance of international travellers at Points of Entry is mandated by the International Health Regulations (2005).
  4. The Ministry of Civil Aviation is the apex body that administers the network of Airport and Port Health Organisations.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. With reference to the distinction between the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) mechanism within India's surveillance architecture, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The IDSP is primarily a decentralised, state-based system for detecting epidemic-prone disease outbreaks within the country, whereas APHOs focus on health surveillance of international travellers at Points of Entry.
  2. Both the IDSP central unit and the APHO network function under the National Centre for Disease Control.
  3. Unlike the APHO mechanism, the IDSP derives its mandate exclusively from the International Health Regulations (2005).
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. In the context of the 2026 Ebola outbreak, the 'African Great Lakes region' (where the DRC and Uganda are situated) is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. The region of East-Central Africa around the rift-valley lakes, including the DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya
  • B. The Sahelian region of West Africa centred on Lake Chad, spanning Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon
  • C. The Southern African region around Lake Malawi, comprising Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia
  • D. The Horn of Africa region around Lake Turkana, comprising Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia

Q13. Kampala, where Uganda confirmed an imported Ebola case in 2026, is the capital of Uganda and is geographically located on the northern shore of which water body?

  • A. Lake Victoria
  • B. Lake Tanganyika
  • C. Lake Albert
  • D. Lake Kivu