Press Release

Alert Response Level of Ebola preparedness plan stands down

30 March 2016

The Government today (March 30) announced, with immediate effect, the standing down of the Alert Response Level, the lowest level under its three-tier Preparedness and Response Plan for Ebola Virus Disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has terminated the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. According to the WHO, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have met the criteria for confirming interruption of their original chains of Ebola virus transmission. The risk of international spread is low.

"In view of the PHEIC earlier declared, the Alert Response Level was activated on This link will open in a new windowAugust 20, 2014. Locally, no confirmed Ebola cases have been detected to date," a spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said.

As Ebola, under viral haemorrhagic fever, has been a notifiable infectious disease in Hong Kong since July 2008, suspected or confirmed cases must be promptly notified for investigation, control and surveillance, which remains effective after the standing down of the Alert Response Level.

The DH will issue letters to doctors and hospitals on the update.

The pages below will be updated accordingly:

• The Centre for Health Protection's Ebola page (This link will open in a new windowwww.chp.gov.hk/en/view_content/34199.html);
• The DH's Travel Health Service (This link will open in a new windowwww.travelhealth.gov.hk/eindex.html); and
• The Outbound Travel Alert page of the Security Bureau (This link will open in a new windowwww.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota).