If you have any access to the news or social media, then you’ve heard about Ebola. And you’ve noticed that people are freaking. Out. First we saw the news about it starting in Africa. Then it hit in Dallas, Texas. We even had our own scare here in lovely little Kent, Ohio. So what’s the deal? Should we be wearing surgical masks every time we go out in public and stocking up on jugs of water for the upcoming apocalypse? No. We’re actually overreacting. Ebola is deadly, but here in America it’s extremely hard to catch. I’ll give you a history of the disease, what’s been happening with it in the United States (and here in Kent), and some tips on how to keep yourself safe; hopefully it will put your mind at ease.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever, or Ebola, is a disease spread naturally by fruit bats. Humans contract the disease by coming in contact with an infected bat, or another animal who has been infected by a bat. It is spread from human to human through bodily fluids. Symptoms of Ebola begin to show between two days and three weeks after contracting the disease. Symptoms include a fever, sore throat, muscle pains, vomiting, diarrhea, and a rash, followed by decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys. Once the kidney and liver begin to fail, an infected person will experience both internal and external bleeding. If death occurs (there is a 50% mortality rate), it will happen between six to sixteen days after symptoms begin. Ebola was first identified in 1976, in an area of Sudan. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the worst Ebola outbreak to date. The CDC estimates that 4,555 people have died from the disease, but cannot give a positive number because there is very limited medical data from West Africa. As of right now, there is no cure.
Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia were hit the hardest during the 2014 outbreak, with a report of 9, 191 cases as of October 17th. Unfortunately, these countries are unable to afford the needed amount of medical care to combat the disease. Health care workers began falling ill because the lacked necessary protective gear. The limited amount of sanitary bathroom areas and clean drinking water also contributed to the outbreak. The first case of Ebola was documented in America on September 30th, 2014. A man flew from West Africa to Dallas, Texas. He fell ill and was treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, and passed away. Two nurses who treated him also contracted Ebola. One of these nurses traveled to Kent, Ohio the weekend of October 11th to stay with family. She stayed the weekend and flew home the next Monday. Upon arrival, she felt ill and went to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with Ebola and put under surveillance. Three of the family members the nurse visited were Kent State employees. Kent State University issued a statement right away assuring families that the woman never came to Kent’s campus, and her family took precautions and are under a 21 day surveillance.
So what’s been done to prevent Ebola from spreading more? Airlines are beginning to screen all passengers before allowing them to fly. They are checking for any abnormally high temperatures. Anyone who is feeling symptomatic is asked to get themselves checked; it’s much better to be safe than sorry in this case. Since the disease is not, I repeat IS NOT, airborne, there is a little to no chance of you catching it. As I said before, the only way to catch it is to come in contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, or improperly handle the body of a deceased victim. President Obama is working on a plan to hopefully put an end to the outbreak. The four components of his plan are to control the outbreak at its source in West Africa; increase competency of the disease and the public health system in the infected regions; enhance training for health care workers; and hopefully increase support from international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization. He is requesting Congress approve his request for an additional $88 million to fund his proposal. Mark Zuckerburg, the founder of Facebook, has also donated $25 million to the CDC for Ebola research.
Unless you plan on taking a trip to West Africa anytime soon, odds are you will not contact Ebola. It is an extremely scary through, especially since someone diagnosed with the disease was right here in our safe little corner of Northeast Ohio. It’s heartbreaking to think of the thousands of people dying in West Africa because they lack the proper health care and sanitation needed to prevent the disease. As long as you take the necessary precautions, you will be perfectly safe. Many of them are common sense. Wash your hands after being in public. Maybe start keeping an extra bottle of hand sanitizer on you. Keep up to date with the news. If you don’t work in health care, odds are you won’t come anywhere near the disease. Rest a little easier at night now that you know the facts. All our hearts go out to those and the families of those who are infected or have lost their life to Ebola. We remain hopeful that a cure will be found soon.