Bangkok: The Department of Disease Control has intensified its surveillance efforts for the Hantavirus and Ebola viruses, focusing on travelers from Congo and Uganda. The department has announced enhanced measures to prevent an outbreak of these viruses in Thailand, confirming that no cases of infection have been detected in the country as of yet.
According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Jurai Wongsawat, a pediatrician, addressed the media regarding the Ebola virus infection response. She detailed a timeline of the Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship followed by the discovery of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The Ministry of Public Health has since declared the affected areas as dangerous infectious disease zones, following the World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as an international public health emergency.
Dr. Jurai emphasized that Thailand has a system in place for monitoring cases arriving from abroad, with specific guidelines for Hantavirus infection. These guidelines include monitoring individuals with a history of contact with rodents or those exhibiting respiratory symptoms. Although the World Health Organization has assessed that the virus is unlikely to spread to many countries, there were no Thai nationals on the cruise ship where infections were found.
Thailand has laboratories equipped to detect Hantavirus infections. Any suspected cases must be reported immediately to the relevant authorities. Reporting protocols differ based on location, with provincial reports submitted to the Provincial Public Health Office and Bangkok reports to the public health unit within three hours for further investigation by the Institute for Disease Control and Prevention.
The World Health Organization recently reported an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, with 254 suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo as of May 17th. The outbreak has resulted in over 160 suspected deaths, prompting heightened monitoring in Thailand, which has not yet reported any suspected or confirmed cases as of 2026.
Following the WHO's declaration of the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency, the Ministry of Public Health designated areas outside Thailand as zones of dangerous communicable diseases. This led to increased traveler screening, surveillance at airports and medical facilities, and the availability of disease investigation and control teams ready for immediate response.
Clinical screening includes checking for symptoms like high fever, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain. Severe cases may involve organ failure. The screening also considers individuals' travel history and any contact with suspected cases or animals from affected areas.
Dr. Rom Buathong, Director of the International Infectious Disease Control and Quarantine Division, stated that travelers entering declared affected zones must report to disease control checkpoints. Those showing symptoms are sent to designated hospitals, while high-risk individuals are monitored daily for symptoms.
Airlines, in coordination with health authorities, require travelers from high-risk areas, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, to register their health status. Recently, five travelers from Ebola-affected areas were screened and are under observation. The country receives an average of 6-7 travelers daily from these regions, which remains manageable.
Provincial public health teams have inspected travelers who arrived earlier, finding that most had already left the country. It was noted that Ebola patients can only spread the disease when symptomatic, and those screened at the point of origin would not be allowed to travel if symptomatic. Although vaccines exist for the original Ebola strain, there is no vaccine for the latest circulating strain.