Taiwan CDC raises Travel Health Notice for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to Level 2 (Alert) following WHO’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak as a PHEIC

Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced May 17 that the World Health Organization (WHO) had officially declared the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) earlier that day. The declaration reflects the potential for cross-border transmission and the significant international public health implications of the outbreak. According to WHO’s latest information, the outbreak is currently concentrated in the DRC and has spread across the border into Uganda. The WHO has identified Bundibugyo ebolavirus as the cause of the outbreak. With no approved treatments or vaccines currently available for this specific virus, and multiple cases reported in urban areas, containment efforts remain highly challenging. The WHO currently assesses the regional risk as “high” and the global risk as “low.” Following a risk assessment based on information from the WHO and other international sources, Taiwan CDC has raised the Travel Health Notice for the DRC and Uganda from Level 1 (Watch) to Level 2 (Alert). Taiwan CDC further noted that, based on its assessment, the current outbreak...