Israel’s Health Ministry has begun distributing protective equipment to hospitals nationwide to ensure the safe treatment of any suspected Ebola cases, even as officials stressed that the likelihood of the virus reaching the country remains low.

The ministry said the measure is a precautionary step tied to an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that has spread through the Democratic Republic of the Congo since early May. Nearly 1,000 cases and more than 200 deaths have been reported. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, citing rapid case growth and geographic spread within Congo.

As part of its preparations, the ministry is encouraging hospitals to set up dedicated complexes for treating patients suspected of carrying the disease. It described the move as a preliminary step in a low-probability scenario and emphasized that early preparation does not reflect any change in its risk assessment.

The ministry said it is also working to distribute professional guidelines to relevant medical teams and hospitals in the coming days. The facilities, it said, are prepared to receive a suspected Ebola case should one reach Israel.

There is no known spread of the virus outside Africa, apart from patients flown securely to Europe and the United States for medical treatment. The ministry said it is continuing to monitor developments worldwide and will update medical teams and the public as needed.

Officials recommended avoiding non-essential travel to areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda where cases are known. Travelers returning from those countries who develop a fever or unusual symptoms within 21 days were asked to stay home, avoid contact with others, and immediately contact the ministry’s hotline.

The outbreak, centered in Congo’s northeastern Ituri Province, has since reached the neighboring provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, with imported cases confirmed in Uganda. It is the 17th Ebola outbreak in Congo since 1976 and comes only months after a separate outbreak there was declared over in December.

The Bundibugyo strain poses an added challenge: there is no vaccine or virus-specific treatment for it, unlike the more common Zaire strain. The WHO has said that late detection, the absence of approved therapeutics, widespread armed violence, and high population mobility leave Congo especially vulnerable.

Ebola is a lethal infectious disease with high fatality rates, transmitted primarily through direct contact with a symptomatic patient or with blood, secretions, and other body fluids.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)