Health Ministry Expands Preparedness for Ebola Response
The Health Ministry continues to monitor and prepare for the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and is holding regular professional situation assessments led by the ministry director-general. At present, no case of Ebola is known in Israel, and the risk to the public in Israel, like in other Western countries, remains low. However, due to the severity of the disease, the high mortality rates and the complexity involved in treating suspected or confirmed cases, the Health Ministry is working to reduce the risk of the virus reaching Israel and to ensure optimal readiness of the health system for any possible scenario.
As part of the preparations, professional guidelines will be distributed to medical teams and relevant hospitals for dealing with cases in which there is a risk of illness. In addition, procurement of protective equipment and specialized gear has begun, early detection mechanisms for travelers returning from affected areas are being advanced, and further steps are being examined to reduce the risk of importing cases into Israel.
Following the professional risk assessment, and in order to reduce the risk of importing the disease into Israel as noted, the Health Ministry contacted the Population and Immigration Authority and asked it to examine a temporary restriction on the entry of people who are not Israeli citizens or residents and who, during the 21 days before arrival, were in one of the following countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya, countries in which there is an increased risk of exposure to the disease. This recommendation was formulated in light of the spread of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the illness in Uganda and the movement of at-risk populations to South Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya, as well as the severity of the disease and the unique challenges facing the health system at this time, with the aim of reducing as much as possible the risk of importing illness cases to Israel.
The Health Ministry emphasized that this is a preventive step under review as part of the overall preparedness measures, and that for now there has been no change in the guidance to the public. The ministry again recommends avoiding nonessential travel to areas with known active illness, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, especially given the spread of illness in these countries in recent days and in the foreseeable future. If travel to these areas is necessary, the ministry recommends obtaining individual consultation at a travel clinic abroad as detailed in the travel guidelines on the Health Ministry website. Travelers returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, especially from areas with active illness, who develop fever or unusual symptoms within 21 days of their return, are asked to stay at home and avoid contact with others, immediately contact the Health Ministry by phone, and report during that call that they were in an area where Ebola is present.
