South Korea issues travel alert for Uganda amid Ebola outbreak

South Korea on Thursday raised its travel alert for Uganda amid an Ebola outbreak in the region, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The Foreign Ministry raised 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 staying in the country to pay special attention to their safety.

The ministry also 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 Tuesday designated Congo, Uganda and South Sudan as priority quarantine management countries for the Ebola virus disease.

According to the World Health Organization, 51 Ebola cases have so far been confirmed in Congo, particularly in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, including in the cities of Bunia and Goma.

Uganda has also reported two confirmed cases in the capital, Kampala, including the death of a person who had traveled from Congo.

The latest outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain, one of several viruses that can cause Ebola disease, according to WHO.

Ebola symptoms include fever, muscle pain, rash and sometimes bleeding. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, including handling contaminated materials or contact with someone who has died from the disease.

The fatality rate involving the Bundibugyo strain is estimated to be between 25% and 40%, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

By comparison, the estimated global fatality rate for COVID-19 was far lower — generally well below 1% overall.