Contact Tracing

Contact tracing can stop Ebola in its tracks

Contact tracing is finding everyone who comes in direct contact with a sick Ebola patient. Contacts are watched for signs of illness for 21 days from the last day they came in contact with the Ebola patient. If the contact develops a fever or other Ebola symptoms, they are immediately isolated, tested, provided care, and the cycle starts again – all of the new patient’s contacts are found and watched for 21 days. Contact tracing finds new cases quickly so they can be isolated, stopping further spread of Ebola.

CDC and partners use contact tracing to identify new Ebola cases quickly and isolate patients as soon as they show symptoms, preventing spread to others. One missed contact can keep Ebola spreading but careful tracing of contacts and isolating new cases can stop the outbreak.