(Bangkok/New Delhi/Kinshasa, 28th) Starting today, Thailand is imposing a 21-day mandatory quarantine on travelers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, becoming the first country in the world to implement strict cross-border control measures for the Ebola outbreak. Meanwhile, India has reported its first suspected Ebola case, which has tested negative. Asian countries are stepping up vigilance to guard against the spread of the Ebola virus.
According to Bloomberg, an official from Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said on Wednesday (May 27) that travelers from these two African epidemic areas must undergo screening at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in the suburbs of Bangkok.
The Bangkok-based Nation newspaper reported on the same day that all travelers arriving from or transiting through these two countries can only enter via Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Asymptomatic travelers must be quarantined for three weeks at the institute, while those presenting Ebola symptoms must undergo isolation and treatment in designated national medical facilities.
The quarantine regulation took effect at 6 pm local time on Wednesday. Authorities have warned that anyone refusing to comply with quarantine or screening orders may be fined up to 20,000 baht (approximately 2,429.89 ringgit). Those who leave quarantine or screening facilities without permission face a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a fine of 100,000 baht, or both.
Although no Ebola infections have been detected in Thailand so far, it is currently the world's strictest country in controlling the entry of travelers from Ebola-affected areas.
As a tourism hub with high population movement in Asia, and a major gateway between Asia and Africa, Thailand has long adopted proactive disease surveillance measures. In January 2020, weeks before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, Thailand was the first country outside China to discover a confirmed COVID-19 case.
Canada is also about to implement quarantine measures. Starting May 30, anyone who has been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days must undergo a three-week quarantine if asymptomatic, and will be sent to hospital for further testing if symptomatic. These measures will last until August 29.
On Wednesday, India reported its first suspected Ebola case. A 28-year-old woman entered Ahmedabad, an industrial city in western India, from Uganda, then traveled to the southern city of Bengaluru. She showed no symptoms except mild body pain and is suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus, and is being isolated inside a technology park in Bengaluru, southern India.
The Indian Ministry of Health later issued a statement confirming that the woman tested negative, but did not specify whether she had been released from isolation. India has not reported any confirmed Ebola cases since 2014.
Indian authorities have now initiated screening and monitoring measures at airports and other points of entry, issued precautionary advisories, and urged citizens to avoid nonessential travel to the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.
The India-Africa Forum Summit, originally scheduled for this week in New Delhi, has also been postponed due to the African outbreak.
The US government plans to send health officials to Kenya, Africa, to set up quarantine facilities. Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that these facilities would be used to receive Americans in Africa who have been exposed to the virus, are at high risk of infection, or have tested positive. Whether this plan will go ahead is pending approval by the Kenyan government.
Additionally, Bloomberg, citing an internal email from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the same day, reported that authorities are recruiting volunteers to assist with Ebola screening at domestic airports. There have been no confirmed Ebola cases in the United States so far, and the risk of public infection remains low.
Currently, the DRC is at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, with its public health system unable to cope and the spread far exceeding the country's capacity for epidemic control.
As of May 25, the DRC has reported 101 confirmed cases, 930 suspected cases, and 221 suspected deaths. This outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no approved treatments or vaccines.
The Bangkok-based Nation newspaper reported on the same day that all travelers arriving from or transiting through these two countries can only enter via Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Asymptomatic travelers must be quarantined for three weeks at the institute, while those presenting Ebola symptoms must undergo isolation and treatment in designated national medical facilities.
The quarantine regulation took effect at 6 pm local time on Wednesday. Authorities have warned that anyone refusing to comply with quarantine or screening orders may be fined up to 20,000 baht (approximately 2,429.89 ringgit). Those who leave quarantine or screening facilities without permission face a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a fine of 100,000 baht, or both.
Although no Ebola infections have been detected in Thailand so far, it is currently the world's strictest country in controlling the entry of travelers from Ebola-affected areas.
As a tourism hub with high population movement in Asia, and a major gateway between Asia and Africa, Thailand has long adopted proactive disease surveillance measures. In January 2020, weeks before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, Thailand was the first country outside China to discover a confirmed COVID-19 case.
Canada is also about to implement quarantine measures. Starting May 30, anyone who has been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days must undergo a three-week quarantine if asymptomatic, and will be sent to hospital for further testing if symptomatic. These measures will last until August 29.
On Wednesday, India reported its first suspected Ebola case. A 28-year-old woman entered Ahmedabad, an industrial city in western India, from Uganda, then traveled to the southern city of Bengaluru. She showed no symptoms except mild body pain and is suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus, and is being isolated inside a technology park in Bengaluru, southern India.
The Indian Ministry of Health later issued a statement confirming that the woman tested negative, but did not specify whether she had been released from isolation. India has not reported any confirmed Ebola cases since 2014.
Indian authorities have now initiated screening and monitoring measures at airports and other points of entry, issued precautionary advisories, and urged citizens to avoid nonessential travel to the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.
The India-Africa Forum Summit, originally scheduled for this week in New Delhi, has also been postponed due to the African outbreak.
The US government plans to send health officials to Kenya, Africa, to set up quarantine facilities. Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that these facilities would be used to receive Americans in Africa who have been exposed to the virus, are at high risk of infection, or have tested positive. Whether this plan will go ahead is pending approval by the Kenyan government.
Additionally, Bloomberg, citing an internal email from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the same day, reported that authorities are recruiting volunteers to assist with Ebola screening at domestic airports. There have been no confirmed Ebola cases in the United States so far, and the risk of public infection remains low.
Currently, the DRC is at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, with its public health system unable to cope and the spread far exceeding the country's capacity for epidemic control.
As of May 25, the DRC has reported 101 confirmed cases, 930 suspected cases, and 221 suspected deaths. This outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no approved treatments or vaccines.