Thai army orders Ebola safeguards for troops in South Sudan

The Thai Army has ordered urgent protective measures for Thai troops stationed in South Sudan after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the list of countries considered at risk of an Ebola outbreak.

Deputy Army spokesman Col Richa Suksuvanon said today that the Africa CDC recently added 10 more countries to its Ebola risk watchlist, including South Sudan, where the Thai-South Sudan Engineering Task Force is currently deployed on a peacekeeping mission.

Following the announcement, Army commander-in-chief Gen Pana Klaewplodthuk ordered related military agencies to urgently assess the need for protective equipment and medical supplies for Thai personnel operating in high-risk areas.

Richa said assistance and supplies would be sent to troops stationed in South Sudan as soon as possible.

Thailand has deployed military engineering personnel to South Sudan as part of international peacekeeping and humanitarian support operations, with Thai troops mainly involved in infrastructure construction and logistical support.

Ebola is a severe and often fatal viral haemorrhagic disease that spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, severe weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding.

Although Thailand remains free of Ebola, the country’s Department of Disease Control has introduced strict screening and monitoring measures after the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency over Ebola outbreaks in Africa.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda have been designated dangerous communicable disease zones. Travellers arriving from the Congo are subject to mandatory 21-day quarantine, while those arriving from or transiting through Uganda must undergo 21 days of monitoring by disease control officials.

Thailand has also introduced pre-arrival registration requirements and airline screening procedures, while anyone showing Ebola-like symptoms will be immediately isolated at designated medical facilities.