People who recover from infection with Ebola virus produce antibodies that last at least 10 years.

If you travel to or are in an area affected by an Ebola outbreak, make sure to do the following:Practice careful hygiene. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids.Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment).Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola.Avoid contact with bats and nonhuman primates or blood, fluids, and raw meat prepared from these animals.Avoid hospitals in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated. The U.S. embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities.After you return, monitor your health for 21 days and seek medical care immediately if you develop symptoms of Ebola(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/symptoms/index.html).

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date and the World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency as more than 3,850 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.

Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body.As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding.The disease, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola virus, kills up to 90% of people who are infected.

It spreads to people by contact with the skin or bodily fluids of an infected animal, like a monkey, chimp, or fruit bat.