New toll-free number for EVD (Ebola) information
New York State has launched a new State information line to answer questions on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The number is 1-800-861-2280. The service is free, and trained staff will be answering the public's questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Note: the line is for public health information purposes only, not for people who need health care attention.
What is Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)?
EVD is a virus that is the cause of a severe hemorrhagic fever illness that is often fatal. In addition to fever, other symptoms include headache, joint and muscle aches, abdominal pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite, rash, red eyes, hiccups, cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, or bleeding inside and outside of the body. Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to EVD virus, but usually within 8-10 days.
Affected areas:
The current outbreak is centered in West Africa. Ebola-affected countries include Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
EVD is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected symptomatic person or through exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions, as well as exposure to bush meat. EVD is not a food-, water-, or air borne illness. It cannot be transmitted through coughs or sneezes.
Local response
The Tompkins County Health Department is in contact with the New York State Health Department and is monitoring information updates from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Health Department is in contact with local health care providers including those at Cornell University, Ithaca College, and TC3 and is providing them with public health updates.
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) on the CDC web site
- Ebola Portal
- Questions and Answers about Ebola
- Travel Notices related to Ebola
- Ebola Screening at U.S. airports
- Ebola Transmission | Download Infographic (PDF from the CDC site)
- Ecology of Ebola
(Dec. 8, 2014)
