“Get away from me, you’re sick. I don’t want to get Ebola.” It was upon hearing this gross exaggeration as I was walking to class that I decided to write a little letter to those who are constantly panicking about being infected with Ebola. It goes like this…STOP.
Here’s what I don’t understand about this intense fear over Ebola. The first is that while Ebola is highly infectious, it is not highly contagious because it cannot be transmitted through the air. So to those of you who are walking around with your mouths covered to protect yourselves from this virus, just stop, and let me introduce you to the handy-dandy tool I used to discover this information: Google.
The other thing that mystifies me about the widespread panic over Ebola is that nearly all incidents of this disease have occurred in Africa: 8,397 to the one occurrence in the United States, which originated in Liberia. Now for those of you who are unaware, I once again direct you to the all-knowing Google, were you will find that Africa and the United States are, in fact, not close to each other at all. There’s about 4,300 miles of protection between you and Ebola-mania, and that’s if you’re living on the east coast. If it was me, I would be less worried about a disease that’s thousands of miles away, and a bit more concerned about all the possible infections I could contract just from walking inside a frat bathroom. That’s real terror right there.
Just by taking a casual stroll through campus, you are confronted with hundreds of life threatening situations that are more likely to kill you than this virus. Here are five things that as college students we’re more likely to die from than Ebola:
1. Falling
I don’t know about you, but I fall almost on the daily, which is probably because I spend so much time in bed watching Netflix that my legs are unfamiliar with being in the vertical position. For those of you who have difficulty remaining upright, you’re more likely to suffer an untimely death from incoordination than from Ebola.
Falling—27,483 deaths per year; Ebola—1.
2. Bunk bed accidents
What you thought was a cute, efficient way to organize your room is actually an impending death trap threatening to crush you. Sweat dreams.
3. Drinking too much water
You have a better chance of drowning yourself with Dasani’s finest than dying from Ebola.
4. Taking the bus
You don’t need to buy a ticket to Africa for a chance to flirt with death. Just hop on the 80, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
5. Riding a horse
Okay, this isn’t exactly common in our everyday lives as college students, but I happen to think horses are a bit terrifying. There’s just something about sitting atop a 1,000-pound animal going 20 miles an hour that I find a bit unsettling, okay? Over 100 deaths a year occur as a result of horse-related accidents, making my fear significantly less irrational than the anxiety over Ebola.
The point is, all this hype over Ebola here in Madison, and America in general, needs to end. It just makes us look ignorant and insensitive to those who are actually at risk for this disease. Should we be concerned? Absolutely—not for ourselves, but for those in Africa who face the threat of this disease everyday.
Besides, we have more important dangers to watch out for.