The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said June 4 that Commissioner Lim Seung-gwan visited the National Incheon Airport Quarantine Station to review the country’s preparedness against the potential importation of Ebola virus disease amid recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
The inspection comes as the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17 following an increase in Ebola cases. In response, the KDCA designated the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other affected areas as intensive quarantine management regions and has established a 24-hour response system with healthcare institutions to monitor and manage suspected cases.
The National Incheon Airport Quarantine Station currently screens arrivals from Ethiopia, which operates direct flights to South Korea, through the Q-CODE quarantine information pre-entry system or health declaration forms. Travelers arriving via third countries are also subject to gate screening and quarantine inspections.
Authorities have additionally integrated overseas travel history into the Drug Utilization Review–International Travel History Information Sharing System (DUR-ITS), enabling healthcare providers to access patients’ recent travel records when evaluating symptoms after their return to South Korea.
To date, no suspected or confirmed Ebola cases have been identified among travelers entering the country, according to the KDCA.
During the visit, Lim chaired a response task force meeting to review international outbreak trends, around-the-clock monitoring operations, quarantine measures by country and medical response protocols for suspected Ebola patients. He also inspected quarantine procedures for an aircraft arriving from Ethiopia.
“The National Incheon Airport Quarantine Station is the frontline of our national defense against imported infectious diseases, making its role more critical than ever,” Lim said. “I ask all staff to ensure there are no gaps in our quarantine response so that public safety is protected and people can feel reassured.”