10 viral diseases pose a big threat to India; the media reported
citing the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The diseases include Ebola, MERS-CoV, yellow fever, Avian influenza (H7N9, H9N2), Usutu virus, Tilapia novel orthomyxo-like virus, Cyclovirus, Banna Reo virus, and Canine parvovirus.

A review article mentioning Emerging/re-emerging viral diseases & new viruses on the Indian horizon was published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR). Infectious diseases remain a major challenge, leading to significant healthcare expenditure, for India. The country's extreme geo-climatic differences and uneven population distribution cause patterns of distribution of viral diseases.

Factors that increased chances of such diseases spreading include:
1. Increasing population
2. Poverty and malnutrition
3. Increased connectivity
4. Economic factors leading to migration

Nearly 30,000 Indians live in Uganda, where Ebola has been reported. Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through bodily fluids, causing haemorrhagic fever with internal/external bleeding and about 70% of Ebola infection cases end in deaths.

MERS-CoV can be another potential concern. This virus was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has since spread to 26 countries. Bats are the thought to be the natural reservoirs of this virus. The review article says that MERS-CoV may spread to India because of great diversity in bat species and the heavy passenger traffic from the Middle East. The
IJMR article also highlights that sporadic cases of avian influenza have been reported. The situation of emerging public health infections in India was last reviewed in 2013 and the new review attempts to provide an updated on the topic.

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