Is The Ebola Virus Really A Global Threat?

Ebola remains a concern in our world, as more bodies die in the streets, health care facilities are looted, and even high-profile doctors fall prey to the virus. 

WHO Calls Ebola A Global Emergency - August 9, 2014

But what do we know about it? In conversations I've had with people, it's unclear how it's transmitted, and how serious it is. 

Here are some things we know about it:

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola has a 90% fatality rate, and is one of the most virulent diseases;

• The disease emerged in Africa in two simultaneous outbreaks locations in 1976: one in the Congo, near the Ebola river, and the other in a remote area of Sudan;

• Ebola is spread through close contact with the blood of an infected animal (chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes, and porcupines);

• It spreads human-to-human through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids, or between broken skin or mucous membranes between a healthy person and the contaminated possessions of infected persons (blankets, clothes, needles);

• Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding;

• There remains no authorized or licensed vaccine or treatment for Ebola;

• In spite of downplaying in the media, there are some reports that claim that this strain of the Ebola virus may be airborne (transmissible from human to human through the air).

Knowing as much as you can about the Ebola virus can reduce the risk of you coming in contact with it. Just today, health workers in Berlin, Germany (breathing a sigh of relief, no doubt) claimed that a woman who returned from a trip to Africa and collapsed in a job centre. There are entries on this blog that give you tips for pandemics. It is important that you read them, and stay informed in order to reduce the existential risk of this virus, should it spread to North America, which is more than possible.