South Korea issues Uganda travel alert over Ebola outbreak
South Korea on Thursday raised its travel alert for Uganda amid an Ebola outbreak in the region, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.
The Foreign Ministry upgraded its travel warning for all of Uganda from Level 2, which advises against nonessential travel, to a special travel advisory.
The government urged South Korean nationals to cancel or postpone planned travel to Uganda and advised those already in the country to exercise heightened caution and prioritize personal safety.
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The ministry also said it plans to issue a Level 4 travel ban for Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) earlier this week designated the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan as priority quarantine management countries for Ebola virus disease.
According to the World Health Organization (World Health Organization), 51 Ebola cases have been confirmed so far in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, including the cities of Bunia and Goma.
Uganda has also reported two confirmed cases in its capital, Kampala, including the death of a patient who had recently traveled from Congo.
The outbreak is currently driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, one of several viruses that can cause Ebola virus disease, according to WHO.
Ebola symptoms include fever, muscle pain, rash, and in some cases internal or external bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, including contaminated materials or close contact with infected individuals, including the deceased.
The fatality rate of the Bundibugyo strain is estimated to be between 25% and 40%, according to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières).
By comparison, the estimated global fatality rate for COVID-19 was significantly lower overall, generally well below 1%, according to public health estimates.
By Nijat Babayev
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