🚨 If you think you may have Ebola
Call immediately
15 / 112
Emergency services — 24/7
- 1 Stay home — do NOT go to hospital without calling first
- 2 Call emergency services and mention your travel to Central/East Africa
- 3 Isolate yourself in a separate room, avoid any physical contact
- 4 Wait for instructions from the medical dispatcher
🌡️ When should I be worried?
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person. It does NOT spread through the air. The risk for someone in Europe without recent travel to Central/East Africa is extremely low.
⚠️ Call emergency services if you have BOTH of these:
- Fever ≥ 38°C (100.4°F) appearing within 21 days of return from Central/East Africa (DRC, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda...)
- + any of these signs: unexplained bleeding, severe vomiting, profuse diarrhea, intense muscle pain
✅ Ebola does NOT spread through:
- Air or breathing
- Coughing or sneezing
- Water or food (in Europe)
- Insects or mosquitoes
- Contact with asymptomatic person
- Public transport
📅 Disease timeline — day by day
Bundibugyo strain — incubation 2 to 21 days (median: 7 days)
Prodromal phase — resembles influenza
- Sudden fever ≥ 38.5°C (101.3°F)
- Intense headache
- Muscle and joint pain
- Severe fatigue
- Sore throat
⚠️ The patient is already contagious as soon as symptoms appear.
Gastrointestinal phase
- Significant nausea and vomiting
- Profuse diarrhea (10 to 20 stools per day)
- Abdominal pain
- Severe dehydration
- Skin rash on the trunk
Risk of fatal dehydration. IV rehydration in a specialized facility is critical.
Hemorrhagic phase (in 30–50% of patients)
- Bleeding from gums, eyes, nose
- Blood in vomit and stools
- Spontaneous bruising
- Organ failure (liver, kidneys)
Death occurs mainly from shock, not exclusively from bleeding. All fluids are highly infectious.
Recovery or death
- Survivors: recovery confirmed by 2 negative PCR tests
- Fatigue and joint pain for 2 to 3 months
- Risk of eye complications (uveitis)
- Mandatory post-recovery medical follow-up
Warning: the virus can persist in semen for up to 500 days after recovery.
⚠️ After recovery — risks to know
🔬 Sexual transmission
- Ebola virus persists in semen up to 500 days after clinical recovery
- WHO 2021: condom for 12 months (male survivors)
- Breastfeeding contraindicated during illness
- Semen PCR tests recommended before stopping contraception
🧠 Post-Ebola syndrome
- Uveitis (eye inflammation, risk of blindness)
- Chronic joint pain
- Persistent fatigue for months
- Memory and concentration problems
- Depression and PTSD
❓ Frequently asked questions
Very unlikely. Ebola does not spread through the air (no aerosols like influenza). Contamination would require direct contact with the body fluids of a symptomatic passenger. The risk on a plane is minimal — however, health authorities may still contact the neighbors of an identified case.
No. The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine (Ervebo), effective against the Zaire strain, has no demonstrated efficacy against the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the 2026 outbreak. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.
The risk zones are specific: Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces (DRC) and border regions of Uganda. The rest of Africa is not affected. Check your government's travel advisories before any trip to Central Africa.
The maximum incubation period for Ebola is 21 days. If your trip was more than 21 days ago, Ebola is very unlikely. However, fever after travel to Africa can have other causes (malaria +++). See a doctor and mention your travel. If less than 21 days and you were in an outbreak area: call emergency services immediately.
⚗️ Comparison of all 5 Ebola strains
The Ebola virus comprises 5 species. Only the Zaire strain has an effective vaccine (not available against Bundibugyo).
| Strain | CFR | Vaccine | Treatment | 2026 Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bundibugyo (BDBV) DRC, Uganda |
25–50% | None | None | 🚨 ACTIVE — PHEIC |
| Zaire (EBOV) DRC, Central Africa |
40–90% | Ervebo ✓ | Mab114, REGN-EB3 | ✅ Controlled |
| Sudan (SUDV) Sudan, Uganda |
40–60% | In trial | None approved | ⚠️ Sporadic |
| Taï Forest (TAFV) Côte d'Ivoire |
0% (1 case) | None | None | ✅ Rare |
| Reston (RESTV) Philippines |
0% human | None | Not needed | ✅ Asymptomatic |
📚 Official sources
- WHO — PHEIC Ebola Bundibugyo declared May 17, 2026
- WHO DON 2026-DON605 — Ebola Bundibugyo virus, DRC & Uganda, June 2026
- CDC — Ebola Bundibugyo FAQ 2026 · rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine not effective against Bundibugyo
- WHO PPE for Ebola 2026 — Personal protective equipment guidance
- ECDC — Ebola outbreak DRC & Uganda 2026
- UN Info — 344 confirmed cases, 60 deaths DRC · 15 cases Uganda, June 3, 2026
- WHO 2021 — Interim advice on sexual and reproductive health for Ebola survivors
- Feldmann H, Geisbert TW. Lancet 2011 — Ebola haemorrhagic fever
- Varkey JB et al. N Engl J Med 2015 — Persistence of Ebola virus in ocular fluid
Last updated: June 18, 2026 · By Dr Clément MÉDEAU, MD (La Rochelle, France)