One of our main objectives for this blog is to help you sort
out the avalanche of health information available on the internet. The current media
coverage tracking the Ebola virus that has found its way into the United States
is no exception.
Information on the spread of the virus and how it is
affecting people in West Africa and here in the U.S. abounds – on television,
in the newspaper, on the radio, online, coffee shops, hospitals, and just about
everywhere. Additionally, there is a good deal of sensationalism. There is no
question that the Ebola virus is very serious and we need to do all we can to
stop its spread as quickly and effectively as we possibly can.
That said, the Ebola virus is not as easy to catch as the
coverage suggests.
Viruses are spread in a number of ways and some are spread
very easily just simply through the air. Sneezes, coughs, touching contaminated
surfaces such as door handles or shopping carts are all ways in which viruses
travel from person to person.
Ebola is only transferred through contact with bodily fluids
such as sweat, saliva, urine, feces, semen, vomit, or blood. This means that
you must actually come in contact with bodily fluids from an individual who is
infected, their used linens or clothing, or a used needle syringe, for example.
Ebola is not spread through the air, water, or food.
We think of other viruses like SARS or H1N1 that affected
other countries much more than it has the United States and these are more
easily spread than Ebola.
Some viruses that are transferred through the air include
seasonal flu, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella, mumps, measles, bacterial
meningitis, among other heavy hitting illnesses. We have developed vaccines against these illnesses
because they are easily spread.
There is no vaccine at present for the Ebola virus.
In an editorial published in the October 12, 2014 issue of The
Des Moines Register, editorial staff noted that if there were a vaccine for
Ebola, people would line up for hours.
Complications from seasonal influenza can lead to death.
Depending on the year and the severity and prevalence of the particular
influenza strains moving through the population, it is estimated that anywhere
from 3,000 to as many as 49,000 people annually die of complications from
seasonal influenza.
And yet, only half of American adults get a flu shot on an
annual basis. Seasonal influenza is very easily transmitted. You can catch
seasonal influenza by simply talking within three to four feet of someone who
is infected.
Complications can include dehydration, pneumonia, and
secondary infections. Persons who live with chronic illnesses can become very
ill with seasonal influenza and also from any complications they may develop. The
risk of getting seasonal influenza is far greater for the average American and
the risk of developing serious complications from seasonal influenza is much
greater than the odds of contracting Ebola.
The Ebola virus must be taken seriously, but not
sensationally. GRMC public health officials, emergency staff, public safety and
disaster preparedness officials, and health
officials from Grinnell College, are working together on protocols and
procedures in the chance it is needed. These representatives work together
year-round on many issues of public health and safety and the Ebola virus is no
exception.
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