Asian countries tighten precautions against Ebola after WHO declaration

Several govts have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travelers arriving from affected countries, though officials say no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia

By Amber Tong and Karoline Kan

 

Governments across Asia are tightening border screening and quarantine preparedness as health authorities work to contain a growing Ebola outbreak in central Africa.

 

Several governments have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travelers arriving from affected countries, though officials say the likelihood of local transmission remains low, and no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia. 

 

In Hong Kong, a Lantau Island isolation facility used for quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic has been inspected to ensure it’s ready for use should a laboratory-confirmed case of Ebola be detected. 

 

As of May 18, people arriving in mainland China from the affected regions who have been in contact with a known Ebola case or are showing symptoms like a fever or nausea will need to declare themselves to authorities. 

 

 

The African continent became one of the world’s fastest-growing regions for tourism in recent years, with Chinese tourists flocking to various destinations. Africa also hosted more than 90,000 Chinese workers as of 2024, many employed on construction contracts under the Belt and Road Initiative. 

 

China accounted for 685 of the 2,553 direct flights between Asia and Africa in May, according to Cirium data, though none of them were to Democratic Republic of Congo — the outbreak’s epicenter. 

 

Memories of Covid remain fresh across Asia, particularly in places such as Hong Kong and mainland China that imposed some of the world’s strictest — and fastest — border controls and quarantine measures. Hong Kong also lived through a 2003 SARS outbreak, which killed hundreds of people in the city. 

 

More than 540 suspected cases and dozens of deaths linked to Ebola have been reported since the outbreak started in late April, mainly in Congo’s northeastern Ituri province. The World Health Organization on Sunday called the situation a public health emergency of international concern, its highest level of alarm.

 

Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal have announced increased monitoring or public health measures at ports of entry. 

 

South Korea, meanwhile, is requiring travelers coming from Congo and neighboring Uganda and South Sudan to report their health conditions to quarantine officials. India is expanding its laboratory preparedness, with the National Institute of Virology in Pune made its nodal testing hub, the Times of India reported.