Travel Alert: Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
2014 Ebola Outbreak
August 9, 2014
We are aware that you may have questions about the Ebola outbreak reported in the media affecting individuals in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and the few cases reported to date in Nigeria. Below is basic information on the outbreak and tips to help keep you and other members of the Boston University community safe. We encourage you to seek additional information or advice through the resources outlined here if you have any questions or concerns.
Updated November 7, 2014
Please see the new update on the Ebola outbreak and BU’s response from the University’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Jean Morrison.
Updated October 20, 2014
The World Health Organization declared Nigeria to be Ebola-free. Therefore, we are discontinuing our recommendation to avoid travel there based on risk of Ebola infection.
Update October 14, 2014: Isolated cases have been reported in other countries, including the United States, Spain, and Germany. Health officials are monitoring those who may have had contact with Ebola patients. Two health care workers, in Dallas, Texas, and one in Madrid, Spain have been diagnosed with Ebola. No new cases have been reported in Nigeria since August 31, 2014.
Boston University Travelers
We recommend that students, faculty and staff defer University-sponsored travel to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria until further notice. This recommendation is made in recognition of alerts and warnings provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Department of State in response to the Ebola outbreak.
Further, travelers to West Africa should also be aware that in the effort to contain the outbreak, several countries have imposed travel restrictions limiting or prohibiting entry of persons traveling from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. These restrictions may be expanded in coming days and weeks.
For more information on travel, contact: Kevin Kugel, Associate Director, Health, Safety and Security kkugel@bu.edu.
Students, Faculty and Staff Returning from the Affected Areas
If you have traveled recently to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Nigeria and have come into contact with ill individuals, please pay attention to your health. A list of possible symptoms can be found on the CDC Website. Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to the Ebola virus, though 8-10 days is the most common.
If you become ill with flu-like symptoms (such as fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, sore throat) please consult a health care provider immediately to discuss your symptoms and recent travel, and to make arrangements to get timely care for your illness.
- Students should contact Student Health Services to arrange an appointment. Please contact Student Health Services PRIOR to going in person, at 617-353-3575 or online at www.bu.edu/shs/patientconnect.
- Faculty and Staff (CRC and MED) should contact the Occupational Health Center, at 617-353-6630 (weekdays 9AM-5PM).
- Research Faculty and Staff should contact the Research Occupational Health Program (ROHP), at 617-414-7647 (weekdays 8AM-4:30PM).
- Faculty, Staff, and Students may also contact the Boston University Police Department, at 617-353-2121 (24 hours).
Risk to Individuals on Campus and in the Community
There have been no cases of person to person transmission of Ebola in the United States.
Update October 14, 2014: As noted above, two nurses in Dallas, Texas who treated an Ebola patient subsequently contracted the disease. As of this date, no further cases have been reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and other authorities stress that Ebola is not, in fact, highly contagious. It is difficult to contract, and is only spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or body. It cannot be spread (like colds or seasonal flu) through the air or through casual contact. Individuals who do not show symptoms are not contagious, including to roommates, classmates, or other individuals.
