Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak begins primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rain forests originating from fruit bats (of a particular species).

Ebola spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of only infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids of infected people.

Initial symptoms are sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, headache. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases both internal and external bleeding.

The standard precautions recommended to prevent the disease from spreading is to avoid contact with infected biological fluids (blood, vomit, sweat and other bodily fluids) together with frequent hand hygiene.

Any person arriving from Ebola stricken regions (Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea) is invited to consult the Medical Service of the ICTP to get advices.