ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — Five people in Alamance County who recently returned from West Africa are being monitored for Ebola, according to the Alamance County Health Department.

The five people recently traveled to Sierra Leone, Liberia or Guinea — the three countries where there has been an outbreak of Ebola.

“These travelers have no symptoms, have not had contact with an Ebola patient, and are not healthcare workers,” said Health Director Stacie Saunders. “We are monitoring them because of their recent travel from West Africa. In the event that one of these individuals develops symptoms, the Health Department and our community partners will ensure that they are taken quickly and safely to an isolation unit in a predetermined healthcare facility. Our community has been preparing diligently and we continue to do so.”

The health department is complying with federal guidelines that all travelers returning from West Africa must be screened for symptoms.

If there is no indication of a fever or other Ebola symptoms, people returning from those countries are monitored daily for fever or other symptoms by the local health department for 21 days.

For information about Ebola, call 1-800-222-1222 and choose option 6, or visit www.ncdhhs.gov/ebola/