CS251367B

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Office of the Director

What You Need to Know about Ebola

The 2014 Ebola epidemic is 

the largest in history

The outbreak is affecting multiple countries 

in West Africa and CDC has confirmed the first 

travel-associated case of Ebola to be diagnosed 

in the United States. About half the people who 

have gotten Ebola in this outbreak have died. 

Although the risk of Ebola spreading in the United 

States is very low, CDC and its partners are taking 

actions to prevent this from happening.

A person infected with Ebola 

can’t spread the disease until 

symptoms appear 

The time from exposure to when signs or symptoms 

of the disease appear (the incubation period) is 2 to 

21 days, but the average time is 8 to 10 days. Signs 

of Ebola include fever (higher than 101.5°F) and 

symptoms like severe headache, muscle pain,

 vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained 

bleeding or bruising.

Ebola is spread through direct contact 

with blood and body fluids

Ebola is spread through direct contact (through 

broken skin or mucous membranes) 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.

Protect yourself against Ebola

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.

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.
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What to do if you are exposed to Ebola

If you have traveled to an area with an Ebola 

outbreak or had close contact with a person 

sick with Ebola, you may be at risk if you 

• Had direct contact with blood or body fluids or 

items that came into contact with blood or body 

fluids from a person with Ebola. 

Touched bats or nonhuman primates (like apes or 

monkeys) or blood, fluids, or raw meat prepared 

from these animals.

Went into hospitals where Ebola patients were 

being treated and had close contact with 

the patients. 

Touched the body of a person who died of Ebola. 

You should check for signs and symptoms of 

Ebola for 21 days 

•

•

•

Take your temperature every morning 

and evening. 

Watch for other Ebola symptoms, like severe 

headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, 

stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding 

or bruising.

Call your doctor even if you do not have 

symptoms. The doctor can evaluate your 

exposure level and any symptoms and consult 

with public health authorities to determine 

if actions are needed. 

During the time that you are watching for signs and 

symptoms, you can continue your normal activities, 

including going to work. 

If you get sick after you come back from an 

area with an Ebola outbreak 

• Get medical care right away if you have a fever 

(higher than 101.5°F), severe headache, muscle 

pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or 

unexplained bruising or bleeding. 

• Tell your doctor about your recent travel to West 

Africa or contact with a person who was sick with 

Ebola and your symptoms BEFORE you go to the 

doctor’s office or emergency room. Calling before 

you go to your doctor’s office or emergency room 

will help the doctor or emergency room care for 

you and protect other people who may be in the 

office or emergency room. 

“We recognize that even a single case of 

Ebola in the United States seems threatening, but the simple truth is that we do 

know how to stop the spread of Ebola 

between people.” – Beth Bell, MD, MPH, 

Director of the National Center for Emerging 

and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases