Alerts and Announcements

Columbia University is closely monitoring the current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that was declared on August 1, 2018 by the Ministry of Public Health of the DRC. This current outbreak is located in the North Kivu and Ituri Provinces in the DRC. The Ministry of Public Health, World Health Organization (WHO), and partners are responding to this event and working to establish the full extent of this outbreak. No cases have been reported in neighboring countries to date. Highest risk of spread is to Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia; heightened surveillance and screening has been implemented in Burundi, CAR, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Presently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO have not issued any travel warnings or restrictions to these regions. Columbia's International SOS service has issued travel advisories for any members of the community planning to visit these areas, advising travelers to defer non-essential travel to the affected areas in North Kivu and Itari Provinces until outbreak control measures have been definitively established.