Countries expand airport Ebola screening after WHO emergency declaration

11:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Countries expand airport Ebola screening after WHO emergency declaration

Airports across Asia and other regions have tightened health screening measures following a global emergency declaration linked to Ebola outbreaks in Central Africa. The alert, issued on 17 May by the World Health Organization, concerns rising infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda and has triggered one of the broadest coordinated border health responses since the COVID-19 period.

Several Asian governments moved quickly to adjust travel and surveillance protocols. South Korea upgraded its travel advisory for Uganda and prepared the highest-level travel restriction for parts of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where transmission is concentrated. Authorities urged citizens to cancel or postpone trips and reinforced monitoring of incoming travelers from affected regions.

India classified the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan as high-risk countries and activated screening procedures at major international airports, including New Delhi. Passengers arriving from or transiting through these countries are required to report symptoms before immigration checks. Officials confirmed that no Ebola cases have been detected domestically. Thailand also strengthened aviation-wide surveillance measures across its civil aviation system.

Hong Kong issued a red-level outbound travel alert for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, advising residents to avoid non-essential travel. Health authorities introduced enhanced border screening and conducted medical evaluations on recent arrivals from affected areas, with no suspected cases identified so far. In the United States, authorities routed flights from affected regions through a designated airport for mandatory screening and tightened entry controls for recent travelers from outbreak zones.

The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which can reach fatality rates of up to 50 percent and has no approved vaccine or targeted treatment. Health authorities have reported hundreds of suspected cases and significant fatalities across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with confirmed infections and deaths in Uganda. The World Health Organization has assessed the risk as high at national and regional levels, while maintaining a lower global risk classification due to limited international spread at this stage.