The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is accelerating, with a sharp rise in cases in recent weeks raising international concerns that the epidemic could spiral out of control. Eight travelers have so far entered Taiwan from affected regions, and none have shown Ebola symptoms.

According to projections by the Africa CDC, confirmed Ebola cases could exceed 20,000 within the next three months. Public health experts worldwide warn that if containment efforts continue to lag behind the virus’s transmission rate, the outbreak could resemble the devastating Western African Ebola epidemic and become one of the most serious global public health crises in recent years.

Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said this Wednesday that Taiwan has already established defensive measures and implemented four major border-control policies. 

Tseng told Rti on Tuesday that the DRC has reported a cumulative total of 808 cases, including 192 deaths and 48 recoveries, for a case fatality rate of 23.8%. Meanwhile, Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths and seven recoveries. 

She added that the WHO continues to assess the risk level in the DRC as “very high.” Uganda and neighboring countries where the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus has been detected are classified as “high risk,” while the rest of Africa and the global risk level remain “low.”