Measures are being taken worldwide against the Ebola virus. We have listed what you should know about Ebola now.
Number of infections and deaths
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 10,000 people are infected with the Ebola virus. Nearly 5000 patients have died, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The Netherlands is well prepared
In the Netherlands there is no reason to panic yet. Several hospitals have been prepared as a precaution for patients infected with the Ebola virus. A disaster plan has been prepared, which distinguishes between people who enter the Netherlands infected and those who only develop the virus after arrival.
Check at the airport is not necessary yet
In Belgium, passengers are screened at the airport. According to the director of the RIVM, this is not useful in the Netherlands. There are no direct flights from Ebola areas in the Netherlands. Nigeria is the only country with a connection to Schiphol, but no new cases of Ebola have been detected there for 21 days already. Furthermore, in countries where Ebola occurs, checks are carried out before people leave the country.
2 to 21 days after infection the symptoms follow
People who are infected sometimes only start to experience symptoms after 3 weeks. The symptoms are a high fever, weakness, headache and a sore throat. After that, vomiting, diarrhea and kidney and liver failure begin. Ebola is only contagious once someone has the symptoms.
National Ebola Information Point
In the Netherlands, a national information point about Ebola was opened this week. The information point is available during office hours and can be reached on 0800-0480. You can go there with all your questions about Ebola:how is the Netherlands prepared? How can I prevent contamination? Can I still travel to Africa? If necessary, the information point will refer you.
