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Ebola in Cote d'Ivoire

16 Aug 2021

Cote d’Ivoire has reported its first case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) since 1994.

The case is an 18-year-old person who travelled from Labe, Guinea to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire by road on 11 August 2021. The person was admitted to hospital the following day with a high temperature (fever). On 14 August 2021, the infection was confirmed to be caused by EVD.

It is not yet clear if this case is linked to a recent EVD outbreak that ended in Guinea in June 2021.

Advice to travellers

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a type of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF). It is spread through contact with the blood, body fluids or organs of a person or animal with the infection.

The risk to travellers becoming infected or developing EVD is extremely low.

  • If you are travelling to a known Ebola outbreak area, you must be aware of the risk of infection and transmission routes of Ebola virus.
  • Medical personnel travelling to work in an outbreak region must follow strict infection prevention control guidance.

If you return home from an Ebola outbreak area, you should seek rapid medical attention by contacting NHS 24 (Scotland) or NHS 111 (rest of UK) for advice prior to attending UK medical facilities if you develop a high temperature (fever) and have:

  • returned to the UK within 21 days from a region or area with a known outbreak of EVD.
  • had contact with people infected with a VHF.

For further information see fitfortravel Viral Haemorrhagic Fever page.