PATTAYA, Thailand – Thailand has stepped up health surveillance and screening measures for travelers arriving from Ebola-affected regions after the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks in Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Dr. Jurai Wongsawat, senior medical expert and spokesperson for the Department of Disease Control, said the Ministry of Public Health has intensified monitoring procedures due to the rapid spread and high fatality rate of the disease.
Thailand officially designated both Congo and Uganda as dangerous communicable disease zones effective May 21, triggering stricter screening procedures at airports and border checkpoints nationwide. Authorities confirmed that Thailand has not detected any Ebola cases so far, but hospitals, laboratories, and rapid response investigation teams have been placed on standby in case infections are identified.
All travelers arriving from high-risk countries are now required to register through the Thailand Digital Arrival Card system and will undergo health monitoring for 21 days after arrival. Anyone developing symptoms such as fever or other suspected signs of Ebola during the monitoring period will be immediately referred into the medical treatment system. Health officials explained that Ebola spreads through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, contaminated objects, or infected animals such as fruit bats.
Symptoms can appear between two and 21 days after exposure and include high fever, fatigue, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, and abnormal bleeding. The disease carries a fatality rate estimated between 40 and 80 percent. The Ministry of Public Health advised people to avoid traveling to outbreak areas unless absolutely necessary and urged anyone returning from affected countries to seek immediate medical attention if symptoms develop within 21 days. (TNA)
