Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, chances are you’ve heard about the Ebola outbreak.
It only takes logging onto Facebook, Twitter, or some other social platform to see the general public’s reaction to the disease. Needless to say, it seems like most people are losing their minds.
And for no good reason, I might add.
Yes, Ebola has entered the U.S. Yes, there have been a total of 4,493 deaths in West Africa from the disease, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. And yes, this epidemic is being widely considered as the largest of all time.
However, I think most people are forgetting that only eight Americans have contracted the disease thus far, according to the New York Times, and three of which are in recovery and four of which are currently receiving treatment. The last one, Thomas Duncan, unfortunately died of the disease, though he was hospitalized rather late and received a different treatment drug than most others.
Also, Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with a carrier’s bodily fluids — it’s not like it’s floating around in the air. According to a poll organized by the Harvard School of Public Health, 85 percent of American adults think a person could likely contract Ebola by being either sneezed or coughed on by someone exhibiting symptoms, which is untrue. According to USA Today, the chances of the disease spreading throughout the U.S. are “close to zero.”
This is largely due to the quality of medicine and hospitals in the United States. It differs significantly from that of West Africa’s, where the disease is much more common and they have fewer resources to contain the spread of the disease efficiently.
T he general public should calm down about Ebola. Between the number of experimental drugs being made to combat the disease and the rigorous screenings being implemented at airports, there’s really no need to panic. The United States is making it a priority to ensure that the disease doesn’t spread, and has the tools, technology and medicine to make that a reality.
If anything, fear of Ebola is spreading much more rapidly than the disease itself.
