Don’t Freak Out About Ebola Coming to America

I’m sure none of you would want to emulate Donald Trump,
but just in case you’re tempted to follow
his lead and freak out about the Ebola patients coming to the
U.S. for treatment, here’s Danielle N. Lee to
talk some sense into you:

It is a frightening prospect to
have a disease with a 80-90 percent mortality rate so
close to home. People are concerned
that once Ebola arrives in the US, people here will get sick
and the disease will spread.

There are two things, however, that are important for everyone
to understand.

First, Ebola
is already here in the US. Scientists have been studying
the disease in well-secured laboratories for years, and there has
been no trouble.

In other words, there have been no new cases or incidences of
Ebola from these previous exposures to Ebola and related viral
hemorrhagic fever diseases.

Second, Ebola is actually very hard to contract….[C]ontracting
Ebola involves coming into direct contact with an infected person’s
body fluids, namely blood and feces. Caretakers such as relatives
and medical staff are at high risk of becoming infected. Otherwise,
the chances of anyone else in the community contracting Ebola is
practically zero. Transmission can be avoided by wearing protective
clothing and gloves, washing your hands, and avoiding physical
contact with individuals who are sick.

Read the rest
here.