Thailand on alert against Ebola disease

Thailand’s main Suvarnabhumi International Airport has launched comprehensive measures to screen inbound passengers and crews thoroughly if they are coming from areas already affected by or at risk of being affected by the spread of the fatal Ebola disease.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said in a statement issued this week that the move, as instructed by the Public Health Ministry, is aimed at strong prevention and containing any suspected case crossing the border.

The measures will be especially applied to all arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda in Eastern Africa, where an outbreak of the rare but deadly Bundibugyo strain of the virus was detected since last month.

The CAAT stated that passengers and crew from DRC and Uganda are required to land only at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, noting that it is closely coordinating and cooperating with all airlines and relevant parties to ensure efficacious prevention in line with international standards.

The CAAT also advised the public to follow updates on the regional outbreak and temporarily refrain from travelling to the two affected countries or other reportedly risky areas for everyone’s safety.

If people need to visit the affected African countries, they should strictly follow standard national and international public health guidelines and practices.