Since Ebola hemorrhagic fever broke out in Guinea in March, roughly 1,975 Ebola cases have been reported in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone as of August 13, 2014. A total of 1,069 of them have resulted in death. To prevent Ebola from entering China, the Chinese embassy in Sierra Leone recommends Chinese residents pay close attention to the notice released by China’s Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau. The notice is as follows:

First, people from the above-mentioned areas with symptoms of fever, weakness, headache, myalgia, pharyngalgia, nausea, vomiting, bellyache, diarrhea, erythra and conjunctival congestion should see a doctor immediately. People without these symptoms should take protective measures when departing and during their journey.

Second, people from the Ebola-affected countries should inform the entry-exit inspection and quarantine department. People arriving in China should self-quarantine themselves in their home for three weeks. If the above symptoms show up, people should see a doctor immediately to get timely diagnosis and treatment. The medical institutions should report in time if they have suspected patients.

Third, people from the above-mentioned countries as well as people in charge of vehicles from these areas should cooperate with staff of entry-exit inspection and quarantine to undergo body temperature monitoring, epidemiological investigation and medical investigation. If staff find people with the above symptoms, they should take protective and medical measures, including disinfecting body fluid, secretions, excretions and articles touched by the patient.

Fourth, the carriers of vehicles, containers, cargo, luggage and postal parcel from the affected areas should cooperate with inspection and quarantine staff to disinfect items that may be infected by the Ebola virus. It is prohibited to bring animals and their products, as well as human tissue and blood, into China.

Fifth, people who go to the above-mentioned areas can consult with the entry-exit inspection and quarantine department and its international travel health care center, or check information on the website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (http://www.aqsiq.gov.cn) and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.chinacdc.cn/) to learn about the epidemic and prevention.

Sixth, people who go to the above areas should maintain good personal hygiene habits by avoiding touching primates, wild animals, suspected patients, blood, body fluids and excretions from infected patients or animals. Make sure food made from local animals is fully cooked before eating. If people come down with relevant symptoms, they should see a doctor immediately and inform the entry-exit inspection and quarantine department when entering China.

Seventh, Ebola is an acute hemorrhagic disease with a fatality rate as high as 50 percent to 90 percent. It can be spread through patients’ blood, body fluid through the skin, the respiratory tract or tunica conjunctiva. The disease’s incubation period is 2 to 21 days with clinical symptoms of fever, weakness, headache, myalgia, pharyngalgia, nausea, vomit, bellyache, diarrhea, erythra and conjunctival congestion. Severe cases can cause nonicteric hepatitis, pancreatitis and bleeding. There are no effective drugs or vaccines for Ebola so far.