20 May 69

The Department of Disease Control, the Ministry of Health, has now announced that the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Uganda, as well as elevating the situation to a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) because the disease is a severe infectious disease, a rapid epidemic and a high mortality rate.

In the past, the Department of Disease Control has been closely monitoring the outbreak situation and continuously coordinating its work with relevant domestic and international agencies, enhancing surveillance, screening and monitoring measures for travelers from outbreak countries, particularly international access channels, airports and border crossings, as well as laboratory preparedness, disease investigation teams and medical facilities to accommodate cases of suspected cases.

Today (May 20, 2026), the Ministry of Health announced the Ministry of Health on localities outside the kingdom that are dangerous contagious diseases, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) 2026, designating the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Uganda as dangerous contagious diseases zones in accordance with the Contagious Diseases Act 2015 and with effect from May 21, 2026 onwards.

The announcement aims to enhance disease surveillance, prevention and control at international access channels and to accommodate risks from travelers coming from countries with outbreaks and enable public health authorities to take rapid and appropriate disease control measures according to the circumstances.

For the Guidelines for the Implementation of the International Communicable Disease Control Outpost, it consists of two key measures:

1. The originating measures and practices for the airline require all travelers from Ebola infection zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Uganda to register in advance. Foreigners must register through the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) system. Thai people register through the Thai Health Pass at the check-in point, as well as the airline must send a list of passengers from vulnerable countries to international communicable disease control stations at the destination of the airport in advance and screen for symptoms, as well as assess the risk of the passenger from the origin according to the WHO. Thai people must avoid the trip. Go to the outbreak area if there is no need and must report to the international communicable disease control checkpoint every time you return to the country.

2. Screening measures at domestic airports. Communicable Disease Control staff will check the QR code of travelers from the outbreak area, the arrival gate area, or the airplane gate for direct flights from vulnerable areas. Travelers from the infection area must first file documents with the Communicable Disease Control Officer through the Immigration Ceremony (ATM). The staff will remeasure the fever, inquire the medical history, and record the address information, including the current phone number, in the system to monitor symptoms until the end of 21 days.

"Ask the public to follow closely the information from the Ministry of Health and the Department of Disease Control without panic, as Thailand has a standardized disease surveillance, prevention and control system and is well equipped to respond to public health emergencies, personnel, tools and medical and public health systems," added the doctor.

Ebola virus infectious diseases are transmitted through contact with the blood, secretions, or body of an infected person or death from the disease. Major symptoms include high fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly abnormal bleeding.

The Department of Disease Control requests the cooperation of the public to avoid travel to the area of the outbreak. If there is a need to travel, the prophylaxis should be strictly followed. And if you return from a vulnerable country within 21 days and have a fever or disorder, please seek medical attention immediately and provide medical personnel with travel history. If the public is in doubt, please call 1422 on the Disease Control Department hotline.