What is Ebola?

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a rare and deadly disease. The disease is caused by infection with one of the ebolaviruses (Ebola, Sudan, Bundibugyo, or Taï Forest virus). It is spread by direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with a sick person’s blood or body fluids (urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, and semen). It is also spread by direct contact with objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected body fluids or infected animals.

Symptoms of Ebola include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.

Who is at risk?

Travelers could be infected if they come into contact with blood or body fluids from someone who is sick or has died from Ebola. People also can become sick with Ebola if they come into contact with infected wildlife or raw or undercooked meat (bushmeat) from an infected animal. Health care workers and the family and friends in close contact with Ebola patients are at risk of getting sick because they may come in contact with infected blood or body fluids.

What can travelers do to prevent Ebola?

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for Ebola, and many people who get the disease die. Therefore, it is important to take steps to prevent Ebola.

• Avoid nonessential travel to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
• If you must travel, please make sure to do the following:
  • Before your trip check your health insurance plan and benefits to learn what is covered in the event that you become ill. CDC recommends that anyone traveling to countries where outbreaks of Ebola are occurring have full coverage, including coverage for emergency medical evacuation.
    • Information about medical evacuation services can be found on the US Department of State’s Air Ambulance/MedEvac/Medical Escort Providers page.
    • Some insurance providers are excluding medical evacuation coverage for people who have Ebola. Check with providers to ensure you have the coverage you need.
    • Be sure to check the coverage limits for evacuation insurance. Also check to see if the policy covers evacuation to the United States or to the nearest location where adequate medical care is offered.
  • Practice careful hygiene. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
  • Avoid contact with blood and body fluids (such as urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, and semen).
  • Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids.
  • Avoid direct contact with the body of someone who has died from Ebola, including participating in funeral or burial rituals.
  • Avoid contact with animals (such as bats or monkeys) or with raw or undercooked meat.
  • Do not eat or handle bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food).
  • Avoid hospitals in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated. The US Embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities that are suitable for your needs. The US Embassy Monrovia can be reached at +(231) 77-677-7000.
  • Seek medical care immediately if you develop fever (100.4°F / 38°C or higher) or other symptoms such as severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.
    • Limit your contact with other people when you travel to the doctor. Do not travel anywhere else.

Returning home

How can I be exposed to Ebola?

You can be exposed to the Ebola virus if you have contact with blood or body fluids (such as urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, and semen) of a person sick with Ebola without wearing the right protective clothing. This includes wearing a mask over your mouth and nose, waterproof gloves, a gown (to protect clothing), and eye protection (goggles or a face shield – corrective eye glasses are not enough).

This kind of exposure can happen if you —

• Are stuck with a needle or splashed in the eye, nose, or mouth with blood or body fluids of someone sick with Ebola.
• Handle blood or body fluids of a sick Ebola patient.
• Touch a person who is sick with Ebola.
• Touch the body of someone who died in a country where Ebola outbreaks are occurring.
• Care for or live with a person who is sick with Ebola.
• Spend a long amount of time within three feet (one meter) of a person who is sick with Ebola.

Traveling to countries where an Ebola outbreak is occurring could affect your ability to return home. Travelers are being screened at the airports to look for signs of Ebola and to find out if people have been exposed to Ebola, even if they are not sick. Those who have been exposed to Ebola or are sick with symptoms of Ebola will not be allowed to travel on commercial flights to the United States and potentially to other countries.

• Screening at the airport may look different in each country, but you should be prepared for screeners to check your temperature and look for signs and symptoms of illness. You will also be asked to answer questions about possible exposures to someone with Ebola.

After the screening, authorities will decide if and when you can continue your trip.

• If you have symptoms of Ebola or have been exposed to Ebola -- even if you are not sick – you will not be allowed to travel on commercial planes, buses, trains, or ships.
• If you have symptoms of Ebola, you may need to be medically evacuated to receive needed care.
• If you have been exposed to Ebola but are not sick, you will either have to arrange a charter flight home or stay in West Africa for at least 21 days until authorities ensure it is safe for you to travel.

See Interim Guidance for Monitoring and Movement of Persons with Ebola Virus Disease Exposure to learn more about traveling if you have been exposed to Ebola.