If you suspect Ebola, call 1339; confirmed patients will be treated at Seoul’s National Medical Center

South Korea’s disease-control authorities have tightened procedures for handling suspected Ebola cases as the disease continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said it had revised and distributed national guidelines for Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fevers. Under the new system, anyone confirmed to have Ebola in South Korea will be transferred immediately to the National Medical Center for treatment.

The revised guidelines clarify how quarantine stations, public health centers and other agencies should respond when travelers arrive with symptoms. They also set safety standards for routine blood tests on suspected patients. Testing should normally take place in a separate laboratory inside a negative-pressure isolation ward. Where such a laboratory is unavailable, facilities meeting biosafety level 3 requirements, or suitably equipped biosafety level 2 facilities using enhanced protective equipment, may conduct the tests.

The guidelines also detail precautions to prevent needlestick injuries during blood collection and establish procedures for managing pregnant women and newborns. In the example provided, a traveler returning from Uganda who develops a fever would call 1339, undergo an epidemiological investigation and be classified as a suspected patient if warranted. The local health center would arrange transfer for testing, and a confirmed patient would then move to the National Medical Center.

The World Health Organization reported 6,100 cumulative cases and 2,950 deaths as of Aug. 30, a fatality rate of 48.5 percent. The disease can begin with fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain before progressing to bleeding and a decline in white blood cells. No imported case has been reported in South Korea in connection with the outbreak.