Taipei: Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday elevated its travel alerts for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda to the highest "red" level due to the ongoing spread of Ebola outbreaks in these African nations, urging Taiwanese citizens to refrain from traveling there.
According to Focus Taiwan, MOFA's Department of West Asian and African Affairs head Yen Chia-liang announced during a regular news briefing that the ministry has updated its overseas travel advisory list. This update was made in coordination with the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which previously raised its travel advisory for the two countries from "watch" to a second-level "alert" category on May 17.
Taiwan's overseas representative offices, responsible for the DRC and Uganda, have actively posted epidemic-related information on social media platforms to remind travelers to exercise caution, Yen further mentioned.
In a separate statement, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui clarified that Taiwan's Ebola travel advisory for the DRC and Uganda remains at the second-level "alert," suggesting that travelers should implement "enhanced precautionary measures."
Tseng emphasized that the Ebola virus is primarily transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, and there is currently no evidence supporting airborne transmission. She advised travelers returning from the DRC, Uganda, or neighboring outbreak countries to engage in 21 days of self-health monitoring due to the Ebola virus's incubation period, which can extend up to 21 days.