Thailand orders nationwide Ebola surveillance as governors told to support 21-day quarantine
Thailand has instructed all 76 provincial governors to activate Ebola surveillance and support 21-day quarantine or isolation measures for travellers from DR Congo and Uganda, following a WHO emergency declaration over the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak.
The Interior Ministry has instructed all 76 provincial governors to step up Ebola surveillance and support 21-day quarantine or isolation measures for travellers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, after the World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the two countries a public health emergency of international concern.
Arsit Sampantharat, Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, said the ministry had been contacted by the secretariat of the National Communicable Disease Committee under the Public Health Ministry to prepare provincial authorities for surveillance, prevention and control of Ebola virus disease.
The move comes as Thailand seeks to prevent imported cases by using provincial communicable disease committees, immigration authorities, airport agencies, international disease-control checkpoints, administrative officials and security agencies to monitor travellers from affected countries.
Governors told to activate provincial disease-control mechanisms
Arsit said provincial governors, as chairmen of provincial communicable disease committees, had been instructed to use local disease-control mechanisms to support three key operations.
The first is surveillance, prevention, investigation and disease control. Authorities must screen and monitor people who have travelled from, or transited through, countries declared dangerous communicable disease zones or countries with reported Ebola outbreaks.
If a traveller is found to have Ebola, or is reasonably suspected of infection, communicable disease control officers must take action or issue a written order requiring that person to be isolated, quarantined or placed under observation for at least 21 days.
The Department of Disease Control earlier said the National Communicable Disease Committee had approved tougher legal measures for travellers from DR Congo and Uganda, shifting from surveillance to quarantine or isolation for at least 21 days after departure from affected countries. The department said no Ebola cases had been found in Thailand at the time, but stricter controls were needed because of the disease’s severity and incubation period of up to 21 days.
Immigration, airports and security agencies to help track travellers
The second measure requires provincial authorities to support local agencies by coordinating with international disease-control checkpoints, the Immigration Bureau, airport authorities, administrative officials and security agencies.
These agencies will jointly track and verify the residence and travel movements of people who have entered Thailand after travelling from, or through, countries declared dangerous communicable disease zones or countries with reported Ebola outbreaks.
Arsit said the coordination was needed to ensure that surveillance, prevention and control measures are continuous and effective.
Public urged to avoid travel to outbreak areas
The third measure focuses on public information and risk communication for both the public and medical personnel.
Authorities have been told to educate people on symptom monitoring after returning from countries declared dangerous communicable disease zones or countries where outbreaks have been reported.
The public is also being asked to avoid travel to those countries. Anyone who finds a person suspected of infection — including someone with fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or abnormal bleeding — should immediately notify communicable disease control officers within three hours.
All procedures must follow guidelines set by the Department of Disease Control.
WHO emergency declaration raises global concern
The WHO declared the Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in DR Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026. The WHO said the event met emergency criteria because of confirmed and suspected cases in DR Congo and Uganda, uncertainty over the true scale of transmission, and the risk of international spread.
According to the WHO’s May 17 statement, DR Congo had reported confirmed and suspected cases in Ituri province, while Uganda had reported confirmed cases in Kampala among travellers from DR Congo. The WHO also cited concerns over community deaths, possible healthcare-linked transmission and gaps in infection-prevention controls in affected areas.
Recent international reports show the outbreak has continued to expand. Reuters reported that DR Congo had confirmed 452 Ebola cases and 82 deaths as of June 5, with the outbreak mainly concentrated in Ituri province, while cases had also been detected in neighbouring Uganda.
DR Congo and Uganda designated dangerous disease zones
Ebola virus disease is listed in Thailand as a dangerous communicable disease under the Ministry of Public Health’s 2016 announcement on dangerous communicable diseases.
The Public Health Ministry has also issued a 2026 announcement designating DR Congo and Uganda as dangerous communicable disease zones for Ebola virus disease under the Communicable Diseases Act. The designation took effect on May 21, 2026.
The Department of Disease Control said the measure allows Thailand to impose stricter disease-control steps, including quarantine for travellers without symptoms and isolation at designated medical facilities for those showing symptoms. It also warned that travellers who violate orders issued by communicable disease control officers may face legal penalties under the Communicable Diseases Act.
