Taipei: The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has raised the level of its Ebola travel advisory for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, urging medical providers to inquire about patients' travel and exposure history. The advisory has been elevated from a "watch" to a "second-level alert," prompting travelers to take enhanced precautionary measures in regions experiencing Ebola outbreaks.
According to Focus Taiwan, more than 500 suspected cases, including 130 suspected deaths, have been reported in the DRC, with 30 confirmed cases. Uganda has confirmed two imported cases, as reported in Tuesday's Ebola update from the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO has classified the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern, though it does not qualify as a pandemic emergency.
The current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, which lacks vaccines or specific treatments for prevention or cure. This was confirmed by CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui, who spoke to CNA. Tseng advised travelers to Ebola-affected regions to avoid contact with the blood, body fluids, or secretions of suspected or confirmed cases, refrain from attending funerals or handling corpses, and avoid contact with bats, primates, or other wild animals. Proper hand hygiene and respiratory practices should also be maintained.
Tseng noted that the decision to raise the travel advisory was informed by information from U.S. and European counterparts, and the CDC considers the threat to Taiwan relatively low. Nevertheless, the CDC has issued a notice to medical providers to check patients' travel, occupation, contact, and cluster histories.
Travelers returning from the DRC, Uganda, or neighboring outbreak countries are advised to monitor their health for 21 days, given the Ebola virus's incubation period. If symptoms appear, individuals should promptly contact local health authorities or call the 1922 epidemic prevention hotline to mitigate domestic risk.
According to WHO, the incubation period for Bundibugyo virus disease ranges from 2 to 21 days, with individuals usually not infectious until symptoms appear. Early symptoms such as fevers, fatigue, muscle pain, headaches, and sore throats can complicate clinical diagnosis and delay detection.