Regarding Ebola virus disease (EVD) infection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Taiwan CDC (TCDC) has maintained the travel notice at Level 2: Alert. The risk of domestic threats has been assessed as low, but there is still possibility of imported cases. TCDC advises travelers visiting the DRC to take precautions to reduce their risk of Ebola infection and implement self-health management for 21 days after returning. If suspected symptoms develop during the management period, please call 1922; TCDC regional centers will arrange medical assistance in collaboration with the local health bureau.

TCDC further points out that if people seek medical attention on their own, they should inform the doctor of their travel and exposure history. If the case is considered to meet the clinical and epidemiological conditions of the definition of Ebola virus disease infection, the doctor should report the case within 24 hours. The patient should be taken into a negative pressure isolation ward immediately, or be placed in a single-person ward with sanitary equipment. In addition, the doctor should also contact the TCDC regional center, and the commander of the Communicable Disease Control Medical Network will assess whether the case should be treated in the same hospital or transferred.

According to international monitoring data, 84 new cases of EVD were confirmed in the DRC the recent week. From May 2018 to July 21 in 2019, a cumulative total of 2,592 cases was confirmed, of which 140 were health workers. Among the confirmed cases, 1,743 have died, including 41 health workers. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Ebola outbreak in the DRC a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on July 18, 2019.

TCDC once again recommends the public to avoid all nonessential travel to Ebola-affected areas, including North Kivu province and Ituri province in the DRC. If you must travel to an area with an Ebola outbreak, avoid contact with and consumption of wild animals, do not visit hospitals or have direct contact with patients, pay attention to personal hygiene and take preventive measures such as washing hands frequently and wear a mask when coughing. For more information, please visit the TCDC’s website at https://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).