With the World Health Organization putting the death toll from the West African outbreak of Ebola at 4,500 people, and four cases of the disease having been confirmed on American soil, fear and anxiety in the United States that a similar outbreak will occur is palpable. The 24-hour newscycle has done a great job at spinning rhetoric into fear mongering, capitalizing on fundamental misunderstandings of what Ebola is, how it is transmitted, and health officials’ ability to manage the disease on American soil.
What Exactly Is Ebola?
Ebola, otherwise known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is the name given to a group of viruses that infect humans and certain nonhuman primates. In total, there are five different strains of the disease, which are usually broken down in their designation to the geographic regions from which they originate. Only four of the five strains are known to affect human beings, with the fifth, the Reston virus, limited to nonhuman primate populations. There is some evidence that the strain rampaging through West Africa may be a newly emerged sixth strain of the virus.
Regardless of the strain, the symptoms and effects of Ebola are the same, and show themselves within the same two- to 21-day incubation period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Washington D.C.. Signs and symptoms of Ebola include fever, extreme headache, diarrhea, general malaise, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. Ebola’s most well-known symptom, sudden and unexplained hemorrhaging, earned the virus its designation as a hemorrhagic fever.
Transmission of Ebola Is Not A Matter of Being in the Same Room
There has been a lot of misinformation spread about how Ebola is transmitted from person to person, particularly concerning the virus’s ability to be spread through the air. CDC officials have cleared this notion up on multiple occasions, noting that Ebola is not airborne.
While the origin of Ebola in human populations is still somewhat of a mystery, with many researchers noting that a bite from an infected bat or the consumption of its tainted meat is the most likely origin, pathologists are much more certain on how the disease passes from person to person. As aforementioned, Ebola isn’t airborne, nor can it be transmitted through water. Blood or bodily fluids, such as semen, feces, and vomit, are the only known transmission mediums for the virus. Sharing needles with or engaging in sexual relations with infected persons, or otherwise coming into contact with bodily fluids, is the only proven way to contract the disease. Thankfully, many medical devices form a barrier between fluids or gases such as ebola that could create a danger if they were allowed to mix.
St. Mary’s County Health Department Takes Comprehensive Approach to Response
Recognizing the fear and misunderstanding the public has about the virus, the St. Mary’s County Health Department released a statement on October 15 speaking to the county’s preparations. In the release, Dr. Meena Brewster, St.Mary’s County Health Officer, stressed that while St. Mary’s County Health Department believes it unlikely that a case of Ebola will pop up in the region, the department is doing everything within its power to prepare for the worst. Champ Thomaskutty, Director of the Office of Data and Community Engagement within St.Mary’s County Health Department, emphasized the county’s preparedness and response plans in an interview with TheBayNet.
“We’re trying to focus on a comprehensive, coordinated approach between all the county resources…that includes law enforcement, emergency response, [and] the schools,” Thomaskutty said.
Thomaskutty added that the process of preparing for an Ebola case in the county, however unlikely such an event might be, is an ongoing one, and is part of a series of regular roundtable meetings with local emergency response partners. The meetings feature a walkthrough of each party’s role in the event something should happen.
“There’s communication on a daily basis with our local partners, as well as with our state and national partners,” Thomaskutty stressed. Thomaskutty again emphasized that while St.Mary’s County Health Department feels an incident of Ebola is unlikely, they are confident in the steps they’ve taken to prepare for what might come.
Sources:
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/who-ebola-death-toll-passes-4-500-including-236-health-n227291
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2014/10/19/why-americans-still-shouldnt-be-scared-of-catching-ebola/
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/ebola-virus-west-africa-new-strain-scientists-say-n82461
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/symptoms/index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/index.html
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a2693a3969d2dd8868911b196&id=a5e5cb554c&e=e04b7f8a97
