Israel’s Health Ministry has begun preparing hospitals and medical teams for the possibility that a suspected Ebola patient arrives in the country, as a growing outbreak spreads in Central Africa.

The ministry said the risk of an Ebola outbreak in Israel remains low, but hospitals are being readied for emergency response. Preparations include protective equipment, isolation procedures, sample collection, lab transfer protocols, and reporting rules for public health authorities.

Specialized protective gear has already been distributed to hospitals. The ministry is also working to establish dedicated facilities for suspected cases of dangerous infectious diseases, though it has not disclosed their locations or timetable.

The ministry is urging Israelis to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, especially areas with active transmission. Travelers returning from those countries are being told to monitor their health for 21 days and immediately report fever, weakness, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained bleeding.

The outbreak was declared in Congo on May 15 and has since spread to Uganda, with related cases also linked to the UAE and Germany. Israel’s guidance is stricter than the World Health Organization’s current position, which does not call for broad travel or trade restrictions