May 17 WHO declared the Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern; on May
22 WHO raised the national risk level to very high. DRC has reported more than
900 suspected cases. The Chinese Foreign Ministry and China’s embassy in the DRC
advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel and warned against entering
Ebola-affected areas including Ituri and North Kivu provinces. They urged people
in the DRC and neighboring countries to avoid contact with wild animals and
suspected patients, seek medical care or assistance from Chinese medical teams
for symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain or bleeding, and
to report relevant symptoms to flight crews or port/border staff when returning
to China.
