Travelers to Africa needn't be overly wary; it's a big continent

The spread of the Ebola virus may have caused some travelers to become wary of visiting Africa, but should they be?

Phyllis Kozarsky, a professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Emory University, points out that the vast majority of the continent is unaffected by the epidemic, and none in the southern part of the continent.

"We have a tendency in this country to look at Africa as one country rather than a continent," says Kozarsky, who also works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Travelers' Health division. Of the 47 nations on the almost-12-million-square-mile continent, just six have reported Ebola cases.

Kozarsky had these tips for people interested in visiting Africa:

Know which countries are affected, and how. The CDC is recommending that people avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The agency has issued an alert for these three nations because of "unprecedented outbreaks" of the disease.

Additionally, the CDC recommends that travelers take precautions in Congo (also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in central Africa. Cases have been reported only in the Equateur Province, but travelers should keep abreast of reports in the event that it spreads farther in Congo. The outbreak is not related to those in other countries and can be traced to one person who prepared contaminated bushmeat. Travelers there should avoid wild animals and raw or undercooked bushmeat, as well as avoid the body fluids of those infected with the virus.

A Level 1 Watch issued for Nigeria, also in western Africa, has been removed.

Don't lose sight of other diseases you are more likely to contract in Africa. Kozarsky says that something as simple as traveler's diarrhea can have some of the symptoms as Ebola — diarrhea, of course, but also fever, chills and malaise. Dysentery and malaria are also dangers. If not recognized quickly, malaria can be fatal in 24 to 48 hours, Kozarsky says. Talk to your doctor or visit a travel health clinic in advance and obtain any necessary vaccines or medications.

Pack your travel health kit. This is good advice regardless of your destination. The kit "can contain anything from chlorine and iodine tablets … to bandages to ibuprofen to cold remedies, whatever people want," Kozarsky says. Make sure to keep it on you and not in your checked bags.

Don't let your guard down after you return home. If you've been to West Africa, you'll need to monitor your temperature for 21 days. Watch for headaches and body aches. And if you develop a fever after traveling to a malarial country, "that's a medical emergency," Kozarsky says.

Know that the CDC is working with the travel industry. Kozarsky said the CDC frequently confers with industry leaders and has also developed a webcast for airlines, aimed particularly at flight crews and informing them of what's going on, what their obligations are and what they should not be fearful of.

There is enhanced screening at five airports for travelers coming to the United States from the three most affected countries.