Following the recent outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Public Health Ministry yesterday said that it is imperative that measures advised by the World Health Organization (WHO) be adopted in order to safeguard all travellers as well as the country’s ports of entry.
As a result, the ministry has released the measures recommended by the WHO, while noting that emphasis is always placed on monitoring civil aviation activities given that it can facilitate the movement of communicable diseases via infected passengers and thereby spread the threat. It noted that the processes related to air travel and those associated with outgoing passengers, incoming passengers and activities onboard an aircraft can be managed to control the spread of any communicable diseases. At this time, it added, the risk of contracting Ebola currently has diminished and as a result only the basic measures/Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) shall be implemented.