Travellers arriving in South Africa from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will be required to complete a health questionnaire before entering the country, the Department of Health has announced.
The measure comes as an Ebola outbreak that began in May continues to spread across the DRC, with more than 2 000 confirmed cases and 800 deaths reported since the epidemic started.
“Due to the current EVD [Ebola Virus Disease] outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, everyone travelling to South Africa from the DRC and Uganda is required to complete a Travel Health Questionnaire,” the department said on social media.
The questionnaire can be completed up to 24 hours before travel to South Africa and is available at https://porthealth.dhmis.org/travel/.
Third-largest outbreak on record
The outbreak was first identified following a cluster of illnesses in the Mongbwalu and Rwampara Health Zones of Ituri Province in the DRC. As of 15 July, the DRC had recorded 2 124 confirmed cases and 828 deaths.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May, describing it as the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record by mid-July.
The epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola for which no vaccine or specific treatment was initially available. The virus has spread rapidly due to active armed conflict in the region, high population mobility, and cross-border travel between the DRC and Uganda.
Uganda nears end of outbreak
Uganda reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths as of 16 July, with most cases involving people who had travelled from the DRC. Some secondary transmission occurred among health workers and contacts.
The country officially entered a 42-day countdown to be declared free of the Ebola outbreak on 16 July, following the discharge of its last confirmed case from a treatment centre. No new cases have been reported in Uganda since 21 June.
Enhanced surveillance remains in place in Uganda due to ongoing transmission in the neighbouring DRC, where the WHO says the outbreak is outpacing response efforts due to insecurity and difficulties in reaching affected areas.
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