Thailand monitors Ebola after WHO emergency in Congo, Uganda
The Department of Medical Services says no outbreak has been reported in Thailand, while preparations continue for suspected cases.
- Thailand's Ministry of Public Health is monitoring and conducting surveillance for Ebola following the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency.
- Thai authorities are preparing medical readiness, including isolation rooms, protective equipment, and laboratory capacity, in case a suspected patient is found.
- The specific outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, which is a point of concern as there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for it.
- Despite the international emergency, no cases of the Ebola outbreak have been reported in Thailand.
Dr Nutthapong Wongwiwat, director-general of the Department of Medical Services, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
The Ministry of Public Health has been monitoring the situation and conducting surveillance in line with the declaration.
Ebola is a severe viral infectious disease transmitted through patients’ blood and bodily secretions, such as blood, saliva, vomit, faeces or other secretions, especially from patients with severe symptoms.
Transmission most often occurs among family members, medical personnel or people in close contact with patients and the bodies of those who have died.
It does not spread easily through the air like measles or COVID-19.
At present, no outbreak of the disease has been reported in Thailand.
Early symptoms may resemble a general fever, including high fever, fatigue, aches, nausea and vomiting.
Some patients may experience abnormal bleeding.
Without appropriate care, the disease can become severe and has a high fatality rate.
However, because infected people usually show clear symptoms, contacts can be traced, isolated, and the disease controlled more easily than some airborne infections.
Current treatment still focuses on supportive care, such as giving fluids, maintaining circulation, treating shock and strict infection prevention.
At present, however, some specific treatments can help reduce disease severity, especially for certain Ebola strains, and vaccines have already been used to control outbreaks in some areas overseas.
However, the Department of Medical Services is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with relevant agencies to prepare treatment readiness, isolation-room systems, personal protective equipment and laboratory capacity to support the response should suspected patients be found in future.
The public is asked to follow information from public health agencies closely, avoid sharing information that could cause panic, and consistently observe basic hygiene practices.
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo an international public health emergency
The WHO Director-General officially announced on Saturday (May 16, 2026) that the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in DRC and Uganda had been designated a PHEIC.
The reason was that the situation had reached an “unusual” level, with infections and deaths rising rapidly.
Data as of the announcement date, Saturday (May 16, 2026) to Sunday (May 17, 2026), showed suspected cases in Ituri Province had risen to 246, with at least 80 suspected deaths.
At the same time, cross-border transmission had occurred.
WHO confirmed two cases in Kampala, Uganda, both involving people who had travelled from the DRC.
This was considered a very high risk for the virus to spread to other neighbouring countries sharing borders.
A point of concern was that the virus had spread from mining communities into a major urban area, Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province.
In addition, at least four medical personnel had died.
The outbreak was also caused by a strain for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.
This outbreak was caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), which differs from the Zaire strain that caused major outbreaks in the past.
As a result, the world currently has no vaccine or antiviral drug approved for this strain, meaning disease control must rely only on quarantine, exposure-history investigations and rapid supportive treatment.
However, although it was declared a PHEIC to mobilise urgent funding, assistance and international co-operation, WHO stated clearly that the current situation did not yet meet the criteria for a “global pandemic”.
Cause of the outbreak
The outbreak was confirmed by laboratory testing at the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa to have been caused by BDBV, a rare strain.
It was believed to have originated from fruit bats, the natural reservoir of this virus.
When humans come into contact with infected wild animals, they can acquire the virus before it spreads from person to person through contact with patients’ bodily secretions, such as blood, vomit and faeces.
