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Olga Wong

Kristen Cheung

Theodora Yu

Hong Kong has issued a red travel alert for the Democratic Republic of Congo as Ebola outbreaks escalate in Central Africa, with at least 139 suspected deaths from the disease reported.
The red alert – the middle level in a three-tier outbound travel alert system under the Security Bureau – means residents travelling to the country should adjust their plans and avoid non-essential travel due to the significant threat there.
The move on Thursday follows the health authorities’ announcement on Tuesday that the Penny’s Bay community isolation facility on Lantau Island had been prepared for potential quarantine orders.
Acting on advice from health authorities, the bureau will issue alerts for countries or territories seriously affected by infectious diseases to help the public better understand potential health risks.
The Hong Kong government said that the issuance of the red outbound travel alert for the DR Congo was due to a relatively high risk of outward transmission from the locality.
City authorities also cited the spread of the epidemic across the country’s northern provinces and the rising numbers of suspected and confirmed cases, as well as fatalities.
Coupled with massive population movements driven by local conflicts and the lack of an approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus strain, the risk of the epidemic spreading had intensified, they added.
Hong Kong has never recorded a case of Ebola, with health officials noting there were no direct flights between the city and the two affected African countries, the DR Congo and Uganda.
Travellers from the region typically transit through major hubs such as Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

The first laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases were identified in the DR Congo on May 15, with Ugandan authorities confirming their first imported case on the same day.
Two days later, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”.
According to the latest WHO update on Wednesday, 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths have been recorded, with numbers expected to rise given delays in detecting the virus.
Officials also said they believed there had been an undetected spread of the disease for months.
Separately, local authorities in the DR Congo reported higher figures on Wednesday, stating that at least 148 deaths were believed to be linked to the outbreak. While only 51 cases have been officially confirmed, 575 are suspected, with more than 800 contacts being monitored.
The 51 confirmed cases in the DR Congo are in the eastern Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, as well as North Kivu province. Of the two confirmed cases in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, both patients had travelled from the DR Congo, one of whom died.
Ebola is a highly contagious disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood and vomit, as well as through indirect contact with environments contaminated by such fluids.
It has a high fatality rate, reaching up to 90 per cent in some previous outbreaks, according to health authorities. Its incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash or severe subcutaneous bleeding.
According to Hong Kong’s health authorities, if a case is laboratory-confirmed, the Centre for Health Protection will trace close contacts and arrange immediate quarantine.
Authorities have also strengthened health screening at the airport for passengers arriving from Africa.
In March 2020, local authorities issued a red travel alert for all overseas destinations during the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Watoto Asia operations manager Christy Ma said the Hong Kong-based charity would suspend its volunteer trips to Uganda if a travel alert was issued for the country.
The group regularly dispatches teams of 10 to 15 people to children’s villages in Uganda and collaborates with Hong Kong universities to organise summer visits.
“Our trips are arranged for July. Until then, we will observe the situation and stay in contact with the Uganda office,” Ma said.
New Sight, a humanitarian eye health organisation based in Hong Kong and the UK, has issued safety protocols for its Central African surgical and primary care operations as Ebola resurges.
The charity, which runs a hospital site in Ouesso, the Republic of the Congo – about 3,500km (2,175 miles) from the outbreak epicentre – said on Tuesday that it was “closely monitoring reports”.
New Sight noted that it had activated enhanced infection prevention training, reinforced hygiene and screening procedures, and additional preparedness measures for international arrivals.


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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong issues red travel alert for DR Congo as deadly Ebola outbreak spreads

A woman cries as Red Cross workers carry the bodies of Ebola victims from a health centre in the DR Congo. Photo: AP

Penny’s Bay community isolation facility on Lantau Island has been prepared for potential quarantine orders. Photo: Sam Tsang

Red Cross workers arrive at a health centre in the DR Congo. Photo: AP

Hong Kong steps up Ebola precautions, prepares Lantau Island quarantine facility

A quarantine facility has been prepared at Penny’s Bay on Lantau Island as authorities step up efforts to guard against the potential spread of the deadly Ebola virus. Photo: Sam Tsang

The facility hosted a large-scale Ebola drill in November, simulating detection, isolation and transport of an imported case, as well as contact tracing and disinfection. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong urged to trigger travel alert to DR Congo, Uganda amid Ebola outbreak

A general hospital in Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the first case of Ebola in the current outbreak was reported. Photo: AFP

An infectious disease expert has called on Hong Kong authorities to issue an alert warning residents against travelling to the DR Congo and Uganda. Photo: Sam Tsang

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Hong Kong

Health & Environment

139 suspected deaths and 600 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise


139 suspected deaths and 600 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise.


Hong Kong issues red travel alert for DR Congo as deadly Ebola outbreak spreads

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}139 suspected deaths and 600 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise

139 suspected deaths and 600 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise