By Enu Mkparu
The topic of Ebola is nothing new. Since the first outbreak in Liberia, West Africa in March of this year, Ebola has been on the world’s radar. What is new however is that it has now made its way to the U.S. On September 30th, 2014, the first Ebola case diagnosed in the United States was reported. The patient died on the 8th of October in the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas as confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC). On October 11th, the nurse who had cared for the first patient in that same hospital was diagnosed with the disease. Yet another health care worker who took care of the patient at the same site was also diagnosed on the 15th of October, making it the third case. Besides these cases, there were two earlier confirmed U.S. Ebola cases in which two Americans returned from West Africa, already infected. They received treatment at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and were released virus free.
This development has people worried (and rightfully so), but not exactly for the same reasons.
Ebola is a deadly disease, there is no doubt about it. In order to adequately protect oneself, it is important that one is armed with a brief history and some facts.
The first occurrence of Ebola was in 1976, nearly 4 decades ago, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 318 people were infected, and 280 were killed by the disease. Since then, there have been several outbreaks, mostly in African countries, some being worse than others. The last major outbreak was in 2012 during which 40 people were killed in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo combined. In the years since its first occurrence, the highest recorded number of deaths is about 280, nowhere near as many as this year.
The first reports of the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa came in March 2014. It has rapidly become the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery. In fact, the total death rate is higher than all the previous years combined. The countries affected so far are Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and the United States. The total number of reported cases is about 9,216, 4,555 of which resulted in death. Needless to say, these high numbers are a huge cause for concern.
One of the main issues here is that researchers cannot figure out why some victims survive and others do not. “However, it is known that patients who die usually have not developed a significant immune response to the virus at the time of death” (CDC).
Though there is a lot that is unknown, there are some facts that everyone should be aware of:
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Ebola is the result of a RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus. It infects wild animals such as fruit bats, monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees, as well as humans.  The original source is most likely due to contact with an infected animal’s blood or body fluids.
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Ebola is infectious, not contagious. What that means is that it is contacted from an exchange of bodily fluids such as sweat, tears, mucus, blood, saliva or semen. It cannot be contacted merely by being in the same area as an infected person. Nor can you get it via food or water.
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Early symptoms are similar to those of other viral infections. Symptoms include headache, body aches, cough, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Because these symptoms are similar to other diseases, it’s difficult to diagnose Ebola.
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Ebola is often fatal. According to the WHO data, nearly half of the people infected die as a result.
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The struggle continues even for survivors of the disease. Recovery is slow because it takes months to regain weight and strength. Survivors may experience liver, eye or testicular inflammation, among other ailments. The virus remains in the body for weeks after recovery and can still be transmitted through semen.
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Ebola is not a risk to the general public in the United States. You stand a much higher risk of getting the flu, so flu shots are important.
A few prevention methods for Ebola are:
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Wash/sanitize hands frequently, especially before meals.
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Do laundry properly and often
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Do not have unprotected sex.
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Protect the eyes. Infected droplets on the skin can be immediately washed off. The eyes are a different matter entirely.
And there you have it, everything you need to know about Ebola (well, all the important stuff at least). Now feel free to educate other people around you!