The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has set up screening checkpoints at Suvarnabhumi Airport to monitor passengers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, following the Ministry of Public Health’s classification of both nations as dangerous communicable disease zones for Ebola.
Health officials began strict screenings on May 21 at the arrival gates. Passengers from the two African nations must submit health documentation to disease control officers before proceeding to immigration.
The screening protocol includes temperature checks, symptom history interviews and the entering of current contact details and addresses into the department's tracking system.
Dr. Jurai Wongsawat, a senior medical advisor, paediatric infectious diseases specialist and spokeswoman for the DDC, stated that any arriving passenger showing symptoms will immediately be transferred to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute for isolation.
"Those who are asymptomatic will be closely monitored for 21 days, which corresponds to the incubation period of the Ebola virus," Dr. Jurai said.
The screening measures are expected to remain in place for three to four weeks, though the timeline will depend on the trajectory of the outbreak in Africa, which currently shows signs of expanding into multiple countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already upgraded the Ebola situation in the DRC and Uganda to a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Despite the strict measures, health authorities have reassured the public that Ebola does not spread as easily as airborne viruses like measles or COVID-19.
To date, there have been no reported cases of Ebola in Thailand.
The virus is transmitted primarily through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids, such as saliva, vomit or stool, of an infected person, particularly those who are severely ill.
Consequently, most infections occur among family members, healthcare workers or individuals who handle the bodies of deceased victims.
Early symptoms of Ebola can easily mimic common illnesses, featuring a sudden high fever, severe fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting.
In some advanced cases, patients may also experience abnormal internal or external bleeding.
While the disease carries a high mortality rate if left untreated, the DDC emphasised that Ebola patients typically display distinct, overt clinical symptoms.
This distinct symptomatology makes contact tracing, isolation and overall outbreak containment significantly easier to manage than airborne infections.
