Claims that multiple world leaders became ill after attending the BRICS summit in India spread online this week, but official statements support a more limited account.
Polymarket posted that multiple leaders had reportedly fallen ill following the summit. However, it did not cite an official source confirming a wider outbreak, and India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the circulating claims as fake and misleading.
One case has been officially confirmed: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is unwell. South Africa’s presidency announced on September 16 that Ramaphosa had withdrawn from public engagements because of ill health after returning from the BRICS summit in New Delhi. His medical team advised him to rest and recover.
The presidency did not disclose Ramaphosa’s symptoms or diagnosis, nor did it establish any connection between his illness and the summit.
Ramaphosa attended the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, where leaders discussed trade, investment, global governance, technology and economic cooperation.
India’s fact-checking response specifically pushed back against claims that several leaders became sick after the gathering, warning about misleading information circulating on social media.
For now, the confirmed facts are narrower than the viral claim: Ramaphosa’s office says he is ill and resting, while there is no official confirmation that multiple BRICS leaders became sick because of the summit.