24 November 2014
The Department of Health (DH) today (November 24) updated the list of affected countries/areas in the local reporting criteria for Ebola virus disease in response to the World Health Organization (WHO), which declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on November 20.
According to the WHO's recommendations, the end of an Ebola outbreak in a country can be declared once 42 days, twice the maximum incubation period (21 days), have passed since the last day any person had contact with an Ebola case and no additional cases have been detected.
"Locally, doctors should however pay attention to patients who travelled to Equateur Province of the DRC on or before November 20 who develop compatible symptoms within 21 days, as they still meet the reporting criteria and are also statutorily required to be promptly notified to the Centre for Health Protection of the DH," a spokesman for the DH said.
The DH again urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Updated travel advice has been uploaded to the front page of the CHP ( www.chp.gov.hk/en ), the DH's Travel Health Service ( www.travelhealth.gov.hk/eindex.html ) and the Outbound Travel Alert of the Security Bureau ( www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota ).
"We will issue letters to doctors and private hospitals to inform them of the updated affected countries/areas and revised reporting criteria," the spokesman added.