SHANGHAI’S disease prevention and control authority yesterday said that residents should not panic about the Ebola outbreak in west Africa but ought to be cautious if travelling there.

The outbreak remains a regional problem in Africa since transmission is through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control said.

This is unlike, for instance, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which is an airborne disease, said the center.