US issues travel alert amid deadly Ebola outbreak abroad

U.S. officials are advising Americans against traveling to a Central African country, home to the world’s second-largest rainforest, due to a deadly Ebola outbreak.

The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Level 3 to Level 4 on Sunday, News.Az reports, citing Fox news.

The advisory emphasizes Congo's Ituri Province, which is located in the northeast region, though Ebola cases have also been reported in Goma and the capital city of Kinshasa.

Officials said the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, a rarer variant for which existing vaccines may be less effective.

As of Monday, Congo's Health Cluster reported over 390 suspected cases and 105 deaths in Congo, according to the Associated Press.

The State Department warns that Ebola is a "rare, severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever illness."

The virus can spread through direct contact with infected individuals, bodily fluids, infected corpses and objects contaminated with the virus.

"The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Ituri province," the advisory noted. "Do not travel to this area for any reason."Though the outbreak appears to be the main cause of the advisory escalation, officials are also warning Americans about crime and civil unrest in the country.

The advisory noted that U.S. government employees in Kinshasa need special permission to travel outside the city "due to safety risks."

"The U.S. embassy has extremely limited ability to provide routine or emergency consular services outside of Kinshasa," the advisory warned.

"The local health infrastructure is inadequate. Health services, hygiene and quality control do not meet U.S. standards of care. Pharmacies are not well-regulated. Locally available medications may be unsafe," the advisory noted.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli