Location: Rwanda
Event: On August 1, 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo reported an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in North Kivu Province. Since then, a significant number of both confirmed and probable cases have been reported in multiple health zones of Congo’s North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
The CDC has issued a Level 2 Travel Notice for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ebola is one of the hemorrhagic fever illnesses. The virus is transmitted through contact with infected blood, bodily fluids, and handling or washing of infected corpses or through contact with objects that have been in contact with infected secretions.
Actions to Take:
- Visit the CDC Travel Notice on Ebola in Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has information on this outbreak.
- Visit the CDC Travelers’ Health Page for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which includes information on Ebola.
- Review the Rwanda country page for general health information.
- Continue to take malaria prophylaxis as recommended, as the symptoms of malaria can mimic symptoms of Ebola, leading to preventable health scares.
For further information:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Advisories, Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Rwanda. Monitor local media for updates.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda, located at 2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kacyiru, Kigali, at +250 252-596-400, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Fridays, except U.S. federal holidays and Rwandan holidays. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +250 252-596-400.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
To unsubscribe from U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for Rwanda, click here.
