Phuket steps up Ebola monitoring after Thailand designates Congo and Uganda high-risk areas

Phuket authorities have stepped up Ebola monitoring and quarantine measures after Thailand officially designated the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as areas affected by a dangerous communicable disease.

The measures were discussed on May 26 at the first 2026 meeting of the Phuket Provincial Communicable Disease Committee, chaired by Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn at the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office.

Governor Nirat said Phuket must act as a frontline defence because the island is a major international gateway with many direct international flights. He said officials were drawing on experience from the COVID-19 pandemic and already had emergency response and surveillance measures in place.

The meeting followed a Ministry of Public Health directive issued after the World Health Organization declared Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The ministry’s announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on May 20 and took effect on May 21.

Phuket Provincial Public Health Office chief Dr Dusadee Kongtrakulsap said about 11 travellers from high-risk countries were currently staying in Phuket. He said all were tourists with no symptoms and were under close monitoring.

Among the strictest measures now in force is a mandatory 21-day quarantine for travellers arriving from high-risk countries. Authorities are also preparing for a possible national policy change that would require flights from high-risk countries to land only at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, while Phuket remains ready to handle any remaining arrivals under enhanced monitoring procedures.

Dr Dusadee told the meeting that Ebola spreads differently from COVID-19. He said it is not airborne and is not transmitted through coughing or sneezing, but through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids or secretions from infected patients, with the highest risk usually among close caregivers and family members. He said the incubation period is between two and 21 days.

He added that there is no specific cure for Ebola and that treatment focuses on supportive care. He said historical mortality rates have ranged from 39.5% to 66%, although more recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded fatality rates of about 11% to 32.5%.

Dr Dusadee said there are currently no confirmed or suspected Ebola cases in Thailand.

Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation President Rewat Areerob said local administrative bodies and the private sector were closely monitoring the situation and remained confident in the public health system after lessons learned during COVID-19.

Governor Nirat and Rewat urged residents and tourists to rely on official information from the Phuket Provincial Public Relations Office and the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office to avoid panic caused by rumours or misinformation.

Nationally, the Ministry of Public Health and the Department of Disease Control have focused on enhanced screening at airports and border checkpoints. Airlines must notify passengers arriving from affected countries to register travel details before departure. Foreign travellers are required to use the Thailand Digital Arrival Card system, while Thai nationals must register through the Thai Health Pass system. Disease control officers are also conducting temperature checks, health assessments and 21-day monitoring for arrivals from affected countries.

The Department of Disease Control has advised Thai citizens to avoid non-essential travel to outbreak areas and told anyone returning from high-risk countries who develops fever or unusual symptoms within 21 days to seek immediate medical attention and disclose their travel history.