INFORMATION: US STATE DEPARTMENT EBOLA ALERT

In order to help our Embassy Community better understand some key points about Ebola virus we consulted with our medical specialists at the US State Department and assembled this list below, worded in plain language for easy understanding.

• The suspected reservoirs for Ebola are fruit bats.

• Transmission to humans is thought to originate from infected bats or primates that have become infected by bats. Undercooked infected bat and primate (bush) meat transmits the virus to humans.

• Human to human transmission is only achieved by physical contact with a person who is acutely and gravely ill from Ebola virus or their body fluids.

• Transmission among humans is almost exclusively among caregiver family members or health care workers tending to the very ill.

• The virus is easily killed by contact with soap, bleach, sunlight, or drying. A washing machine will kill the virus in clothing saturated with infected body fluids.

• A person can incubate the virus without symptoms for 2-21 days, the average being 5-8 days before becoming ill. THEY ARE NOT CONTAGIOUS until they are acutely ill.

• Only when ill does the viral load express itself first in the blood and other bodily fluids (e.g vomit, feaces, urine, breast milk, semen and sweat).

• If you are walking around you are not infectious to others.
• There are documented cases from Kikwit, DRC of an Ebola outbreak in a village that had the custom of children never touching an ill adult. Children living for days in one room huts with parents who died from Ebola did not become infected.

• You cant contract Ebola by handling money or swimming in a pool.

•There's no medical reason to stop flights, close borders, restrict travel or close embassies, businesses or schools.

• Always practice good hand washing techniques,you will not contract Ebola if you do not touch a dying person.

Pls share this information and try not to spread panic on social media. Stay safe!