Information for the Public
An Ebola public information line has been established by Carolinas Poison Center. The number is 1-800-222-1222, and callers should press 6 for questions about Ebola.
Ebola is only contagious after the onset of symptoms. The incubation period before symptoms may appear is 2-21 days, with 8-10 days being the most common. Ebola is spread through unprotected contact with blood or body fluids from someone who is infected. Anyone who becomes ill within 21 days after traveling to an affected area in West Africa should contact a healthcare provider right away and limit their contact with others until they have been evaluated.
Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or through your eyes, nose, or mouth) with
- Blood and body fluids (like urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola.
- Objects (like needles) that have been contaminated with the blood or body fluids of a person sick with Ebola.
Ebola is not spread through the air, water, or food.
There is no FDA-approved vaccine available for Ebola. Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness.
Symptoms of Ebola
- Fever (greater than 38.6ºC or 101.5ºF)
- Severe headache
- Muscle pain
- Abdominal pain
- Unexplained bleeding or bruising
To protect yourself from Ebola
- DO wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Do NOT touch the blood or body fluids (like urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat, and semen) of people who are sick.
- Do NOT handle items that may have come in contact with a sick person’s blood or body fluids, like clothes, bedding, needles, or medical equipment.
- Do NOT touch the body of someone who has died of Ebola.
Have you been to an affected area or in contact with a potential Ebola case?
If you have been to Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, or Nigeria in the past month, there is a possibility that you may have been exposed to Ebola. All persons arriving in North Carolina who traveled to an affected region within 21 days and either had contact with a known or suspected Ebola case; worked in a healthcare setting in an affected region; or participated in funeral rites in an affected region should contact their local health department or the Communicable Disease Branch epidemiologist on call to undergo a thorough risk assessment.
Please complete the International Travel Self Reporting Form if you have been to an affected region, intend to travel to an infected region, or have been exposed to a potential Ebola Case.
CDC travel restrictions
CDC urges all US residents to avoid nonessential travel to Democratic Rebublic of Congo, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone because of unprecedented outbreaks in those countries. CDC recommends that travelers to these countries protect themselves by avoiding contact with the blood and body fluids of people who are sick with Ebola. For more detailed information, please visit the CDC Travel Health Notices webpage: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices.
Additional Ebola Information and Resources
- General Information About Ebola
- Ebola Fact Sheet
- Advice for Colleges, Universities and Students About Ebola in West Africa
- CDC on Ebola Outbreak
- Advice for Healthcare Workers