The word “Ebola” has been appearing on social media, TV, newspapers, and in conversations between students and teachers ever since the news of the West African outbreak and even more so after the first case was introduced to the United States in late September. For many of us far away from the epicenter of the initial case in the U.S, Ebola has become a novelty word, appearing in jest on social media platforms. For others closer to Texas, Ebola may be a real danger capable of causing brutal bodily harm and destroying families, placing into tight quarantine anyone who had come in contact with a patient. While controversy stirs on methods to handle the disease, one wonders: what exactly is Ebola and how would it affect our lives?
Ebola is a disease caused by the genus of viruses known as Ebolaviruses, which can infect humans and primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees. It was first found in the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976, and outbreaks have appeared on and off in several African countries since then. The symptoms of Ebola, such as fever, headache, diarrhea, muscle pain, vomiting, and hemorrhage can occur around 2 to 21 days after infection, and death is usually due to blood and fluid loss. But there is currently no approved treatment specific to the disease; standard supportive treatments such as rehydration, pain-killers, blood products, and electrolytes are added to the body. Complications such as infections or kidney failure should also be treated immediately.
It sounds scary, but transmission is not easy. The natural reservoir host of the disease is not yet known, but scientists predict that the first transmission was due to a human contact with an infected animal, such as a bat or primate; Transmission can occur between primates or from primates to humans. Between humans, the easiest way to be exposed to the virus is through direct contact with bodily fluids: when an infected person’s blood, semen, saliva, vomit, or other fluids directly touch any of a person’s mucous membranes or broken skin. In terms of exposure risk, those treating or interacting with infected patients, such as healthcare providers, friends and families, have the highest risk of contracting Ebola since they may frequently come in contact with the patient’s body fluids. In hospitals and clinics, many healthcare workers have been infected due to not following proper guidelines regarding protective equipment use and the proper cleaning and disposal of needles and syringes.
To lower these transmission risks, the main things to look out for are prevention and aversion. If you happen to be traveling to or is in an area where an Ebola outbreak occurred, it is vital to practice careful hygiene; washing hands and face with soap and sanitizers frequently. You should avoid handling items that came in contact with a sick person’s body fluids and avoid uncontrolled burials of people who have died from Ebola. After all attempts to avoid areas, animals, patients, and things that potentially touched these patient’s body fluids, you must closely monitor your health for up to 20 days if symptoms began to appear. Early symptoms are usually fever and seem to be nonspecific, but as more serious symptoms build you should seek immediate medical attention.
While all the chaos is happening in West Africa, where almost 10,000 cases have been confirmed and almost 5,000 have died, Americans are scared. A significant percentage of Americans think that there will be a large outbreak in the U.S, and that someone in their family will be infected within the next year. This belief is misaligned with the reality: it will be highly unlikely that a large outbreak occurs due to the resources we have and the relative difficulty in transmission in a first world country. If Ebola cases are found, local and national authorities have immense amounts of resources they can use to treat and quarantine the individuals affected with the disease. Hospitals have more advanced technology compared to smaller local medical centers in West Africa, where regulations are sporadically followed, equipment can be old, and healthcare workers treat more patients. In reality, if you’re not a healthcare worker, it’s difficult to be exposed to the virus since it does not transmit through the air or through objects easily, unless body fluids have clearly been on those objects. As the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization continues to devise solutions and prevention methods for our current international outbreak, Americans shouldn’t be too worried about contracting Ebola, but they should learn the importance of keeping a good hygiene to prevent any disease.
Patrick Lin is a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.