Health Ministry to hand out Ebola guidance to travelers arriving from affected countries

Israel’s Health Ministry is starting today to distribute information leaflets at Ben Gurion Airport to passengers returning from countries with active Ebola transmission. The move comes amid a major Ebola outbreak in central Africa, where hundreds have been infected and about 200 people have died, raising concern that the disease could spread to additional countries.

According to the ministry, the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already produced 782 confirmed cases and 181 deaths. Uganda has also reported related illness, while international health officials are closely monitoring the situation to prevent wider spread. Although no expansion beyond Congo and Uganda has been reported so far, Israeli authorities are preparing for the possibility of imported cases.

The leaflets are intended for travelers who spent the past 21 days in designated areas of Congo or Uganda. They explain what to do if fever or other symptoms appear. The ministry says Ebola is a severe viral disease that can be fatal and spreads through direct contact with the blood, body fluids, or secretions of an infected or deceased person, or through contaminated objects.

The ministry stressed that an infected person is contagious only after symptoms begin, and that the incubation period lasts from 2 to 21 days. Travelers who develop a fever after visiting risk areas are told to call the Health Ministry’s “Kol HaBriut” hotline at *5400, avoid going to a clinic or emergency room without prior phone coordination, stay home in isolation, and avoid contact with family members until they are medically evaluated. Officials said the risk to the general public is low, but they are trying to identify exposed travelers early and prevent the virus from entering Israel.