Ebola: What You Should Know

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a rare and deadly virus that can cause sickness in humans and some animals (bats, monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). Although the risk of an Ebola outbreak in North Carolina is very low, the CDC along with state and local health officials are taking precautions to prevent the spread.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms may appear 2 to 21 days after contact with the Ebola virus and include:

• Fever greater than 100.4OF
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Weakness
• Diarrhea, sometimes bloody
• Vomiting, sometimes bloody
• Stomach pain
• Unexplained bleeding or bruising

How does it spread?

A person infected with Ebola can’t spread the disease until symptoms appear.  The virus is spread through direct contact of broken skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) with:

• Body fluids (blood, vomit, pee, poop, sweat, semen, spit, other fluids) of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola.
• Objects that have come in contact with the virus (needles, medical equipment).
• Infected animals (by contact with blood or fluids or infected meat).

After 21 days, if an exposed person does not have symptoms, they will NOT become sick with Ebola.

Ways You CAN’T Get Ebola

• You can’t get Ebola from a person who does not show symptoms.
• You can’t get Ebola through the air.
• You can’t get Ebola though water.
• You can’t get Ebola through food.

Protect Yourself from Ebola and Other Illnesses

• Do not travel to areas where there is an outbreak of Ebola.
• Do not touch the body fluids (blood, vomit, pee, poop, sweat, semen, spit, etc.) of a person with Ebola.
• Do not touch items (clothes, linens, needles, syringes) that have come in contact with the blood or body fluid of a person with Ebola.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• There is no immunization (shot) to protect against Ebola. But there are immunizations that can keep you safe from the flu, whooping cough and other illnesses you are more likely to catch.  See your doctor or local health department to get immunized.

If You Have Symptoms

• Stay in place to reduce contact with others.
• Contact your doctor, local health department, or the NC Ebola hotline at 1-844-836-8714 for advice.
• Call your doctor, local health department or 9-1-1 right away and let them know if you have symptoms AND had direct contact with a person who had Ebola or is at risk of getting Ebola.

Resources:

1. BC HHS Fact Sheet (see below)
2. BC HHS Infographic Handout (see below)
3. CDC: Facts about Ebola (PDF, 217KB)
4. CDC: What You Need to Know about Ebola (PDF, 2.3MB)
5. CDC: Facts about Ebola in the US (PDF, 250KB)

Find accurate and updated information about Ebola at the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website www.cdc.gov/ebola and at the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services’ website http://www.ncdhhs.gov/ebola/.