Let's start off with a little background information on Ebola.
Ebola spreads by close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms. Ebola is actually a marvelous virus. It has evolved to create symptoms that specifically increase transmission. Symptoms of Ebola include Diarrhea, vomiting, unexplained hemorrhaging, fever, headache, stomach pain, and muscle pain. Notice how the first three all cause the body to expel bodily fluids. However, the virus is not contagious until the patient begins to exhibit symptoms, usually a fever first with other symptoms following later. Another facet of the situation is that Ebola can remain viable in the host after the host has died. This means that bodies remain contagious for some time after death. The virus can also remain the semen for up to three months after a patient recovers from the disease.
So, as we can see, Ebola has evolved to make transmission as likely as possible. These factors make it especially contagious in developing countries where health care systems are not equipped to handle a disease like this. In West Africa, stigmas against health care workers, a lack of facilities and personnel trained to handle an outbreak of Ebola, burial practices, and general ignorance about Ebola have caused this outbreak to spread far beyond previous ones. When a family member is sick they are often not taken to the hospital or treatment center because it is feared that they will be killed while the treatment center will often be understaffed, lack equipment, and lack trained staff. Burial practices in some places can involve touching and crying over the body of the deceased, which increases chances of transmission considerably. And finally, there are many people in West Africa that either don't believe, or don't want to believe that Ebola is real. This can be seen in the hash tags on twitter from that region that claim Ebola is a myth.
Now, As per the title, we'll talk about why residents of the United States don't have to be worried about Ebola. There have been four confirmed cases of Ebola in the country since the beginning of the outbreak. All of the infected persons either were in West Africa where they contracted the virus or were in close contact with an infected person showing symptoms. There is no transmission in the general public, and there won't be precisely because of the items listed in the previous paragraph. We have a robust health care system with trained professionals, advanced personal protective equipment (PPE), and enough hospitals to handle the load. Our culture has a very distanced approach to burial, we often do not see the body once the individual has passed on. We also have an opposite view on our health care system. We have been trained to go to the hospital when we feel unwell and there is no fear that the health care system will fail us.
That being said, people need to stop being stupid. To the Ohio nurse that got on two flights after coming into close contact with Duncan and with knowledge that her PPE had been compromised: how could you be so stupid? You do not fly across the country after having been exposed to an incredibly contagious virus in a confined metal tube. That is exactly how you spread the virus. If you had infected other people their lives would be on your head. And to you Dr. Sherman: are you even more stupid than the nurse? You got off a plane from Guinea where you were treating Ebola patients and didn't event think about going to a hospital to get checked? You flew into the biggest city in the world and just went about your business, you are a moron.
So, readers, how do you not get Ebola and/or not spread it?
- Do not go near an Ebola patient without advanced training and PPE.
- Do not go to West Africa without advanced training and PPE.
- Go to a hospital immediately and tell them why if you violate one or both of the first two rules.
- If you see or hear about someone with symptoms, report it.
That's another topic for a different post though.
Go to the CDC website for more information: CDC Ebola Page
