Why We Shouldn’t Panic About Ebola Ebola or hemorrhagic fever is a virus, which has a high rate of killing people. The virus attacks every cell in the body leading to organ failure and death. There is no known cure at this time. In West Africa the current outbreak is the worst it 's ever been, but this is not the first. The first was in 1976, two cases appeared in Zaire, Sudan, and other in Samburu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus was named after the Ebola River in the village where it occurred. Thousands of people are dying each day from the Ebola virus in West Africa. The lack of medical care in the African countries have attributed to this. There have been a few cases in the United States and one death. The death in the US was
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There have been thousands of fatalities in West Africa. There are many reasons such as lack of facilities, lack of medical supplies, infected food sources and a lack of education. The media is in full swing to exaggerate the threat of Ebola. “It was an intoxicating rush of fear, a sensation that all I needed to do was relax and let the fear take hold, and I could drift away on waves of panic, screaming for help”( Ignatius). Panic is a normal response to danger. The media is making it look like the virus is out of control in the United States. People who are reporting using fear provoking words are being irresponsible. They show pictures of ill people in West Africa waiting to die. America watches in horror with care givers in hazmat suits treating patients. It is like something out of a movie. Society doesn’t know how to prepare for it. “It’s also “telling” that of the eight cases we’ve had in the United States, seven patients have survived. Compare that to Africa where there is a 70 percent death rate” …show more content…
The incubation period is two to twenty one days after coming in contact with virus. An individual may be quarantined during this time to see if symptoms develop. There are five different strains of the virus and they all attack the cells in the body. Four of the types cause disease in humans and one has caused disease in nonhuman primates. There is no vaccine for Ebola but drug therapies are currently being tested. A new experimental anti-viral drug that was given to the first Ebola patient in the United States is being tested as a possible treatment for Ebola. Also blood transfusions from a recovered Ebola patient have been used as a treatment. The virus is not transmissible through the air like the common cold. The flu and cold are very easy to catch because they’re both an airborne illness. Ebola is only transmitted by body fluids and unsterilized medical equipment like syringes with contaminated body fluids. Ebola can only be transmitted by a person who is experiencing symptoms. If the person is having the true symptoms of Ebola look for fever, vomiting, diarrhea, red eyes, raised rash, chest pain and cough, stomach pain, severe weight loss, and the last thing before death is bleeding usually from the eyes, and bruising. The chances of dying from the flu outweigh the chances of dying from
There have been thousands of fatalities in West Africa. There are many reasons such as lack of facilities, lack of medical supplies, infected food sources and a lack of education. The media is in full swing to exaggerate the threat of Ebola. “It was an intoxicating rush of fear, a sensation that all I needed to do was relax and let the fear take hold, and I could drift away on waves of panic, screaming for help”( Ignatius). Panic is a normal response to danger. The media is making it look like the virus is out of control in the United States. People who are reporting using fear provoking words are being irresponsible. They show pictures of ill people in West Africa waiting to die. America watches in horror with care givers in hazmat suits treating patients. It is like something out of a movie. Society doesn’t know how to prepare for it. “It’s also “telling” that of the eight cases we’ve had in the United States, seven patients have survived. Compare that to Africa where there is a 70 percent death rate” …show more content…
The incubation period is two to twenty one days after coming in contact with virus. An individual may be quarantined during this time to see if symptoms develop. There are five different strains of the virus and they all attack the cells in the body. Four of the types cause disease in humans and one has caused disease in nonhuman primates. There is no vaccine for Ebola but drug therapies are currently being tested. A new experimental anti-viral drug that was given to the first Ebola patient in the United States is being tested as a possible treatment for Ebola. Also blood transfusions from a recovered Ebola patient have been used as a treatment. The virus is not transmissible through the air like the common cold. The flu and cold are very easy to catch because they’re both an airborne illness. Ebola is only transmitted by body fluids and unsterilized medical equipment like syringes with contaminated body fluids. Ebola can only be transmitted by a person who is experiencing symptoms. If the person is having the true symptoms of Ebola look for fever, vomiting, diarrhea, red eyes, raised rash, chest pain and cough, stomach pain, severe weight loss, and the last thing before death is bleeding usually from the eyes, and bruising. The chances of dying from the flu outweigh the chances of dying from