MOFA raises travel alerts for DRC, Uganda over Ebola outbreaks

Taipei, May 26 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday raised its travel alerts for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda to the highest "red" level following the spread of Ebola outbreaks in the two African countries, urging Taiwanese citizens not to travel there.

Speaking at a regular news briefing, MOFA Department of West Asian and African Affairs head Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) said the ministry has updated its overseas travel advisory list, in coordination with the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which raised its travel advisory for the two countries from "watch" to second-level "alert" category on May 17.

Taiwan's overseas representative offices responsible for the two countries have also posted epidemic-related information on social media to remind travelers to remain vigilant, Yen added.

Separately, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said on Tuesday that Taiwan's Ebola travel advisory for the DRC and Uganda remained at the second-level "alert," which indicates travelers should take "enhanced precautionary measures."

Tseng said the Ebola virus is primarily transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, and that there is currently no evidence of airborne transmission.

Travelers returning from the DRC, Uganda or neighboring outbreak countries are advised to conduct 21 days of self-health monitoring, as the Ebola virus has an incubation period of up to 21 days, she added.