Since around the end of September,Ebola has been a growing concern within the United States.
As of October 16, we have three confirmed cases of Ebola within in the United States, one of which, Eric Duncan, who passed away on October 8, and his body was cremated.
Duncan had traveled from West Africa to Dallas, Texas. He did not show symptoms of Ebola, but showed them four days later where he sought medical care at Texas Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. He was sent home, but four days later, after recommended tests by the CDC, it was confirmed that he had Ebola. On October 6, a nurses assistant in Spain became the first Ebola case contracted outside of Africa during the current outbreak.
On October 10, Amber Vinson, a nurse at the Dallas hospital, took a flight from Dallas to Cleveland. On the 14, it was confirmed she had Ebola. She flew back from Cleveland on the 13. During the day of the 14, death rates jumped from 50 percent to 70 percent, according to the NY daily news. On the 15, Vinson flew to Emory University for treatment.
On October 12, Nina Pham, a Dallas nurse who treated Duncan, tested positive for Ebola.
Though only three people in the entire country have Ebola, it is important that we know Ebola facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Signs of Ebola are fever (greater than 101.5 degrees), severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and unexplained hemorrhaging. These symptoms can take anywhere between two and 21 days before they even show.
Many people are worried about how Ebola can be spread, and how easily it can be transmitted from person to person. easily it can be transmitted from person to person. According to the CDC, Ebola can be spread by many different ways. It can be caught through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids (sweat, urine, semen, vomit,
etc.), objects such as syringes or needles, or infected animals. The
CDC stresses that the deadly virus is not spread through the air,
water or food. However, Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bush-meat (wild animals hunted for food) or coming in
contact with infected bats, which some believe may be where the
original Ebola virus developed. Only mammals have been shown
the ability to become ill with and spread the Ebola virus.
To help stop the spread of Ebola, the CDC suggests to practice careful hygiene; don’t handle items that have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or bodily fluids such as clothes, bedding, needles and medical equipment. Avoid contact with bats and nonhuman primates, along with raw meat prepared from these animals. If you are returning from West Africa, you should monitor your health for 21 days and seek medical help if you show any symptoms.
Though the idea of Ebola is scary, the only thing we can do right now is to keep good hygiene, and to stay cautious.