Location: Democratic Republic of Congo, North Kivu
Event:The Democratic Republic of the Congo reports an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Province of North Kivu. As of August 1, the DRC Ministry of Health reported four confirmed cases of Ebola virus in an area approximately 30 Km west of Beni in North Kivu.
Ebola is one of the hemorrhagic fever illnesses. The virus is transmitted through contact with infected blood, bodily fluids, and handling or washing of infected corpses or through contact with objects that have been in contact with infected secretions.
Actions to Take:
- Visit the CDC Travelers’ Health Page, which has information on Ebola.
- Monitor local media for updates.
- Review the country page and remain alert for potentially dangerous situations.
Assistance:
- See the State Department’s travel websitefor the Worldwide Caution and Country Specific Information for the DRC.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, located at 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, the Consular Section at tel. +243-081-556-0151. (Do not dial the zero when calling from abroad) from Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is 081-556-0151.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
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