I really should be working on a class assignment, but I
decided to take a little break from my studies to write a little bit about
EBOLA! Yes, Ebola! The dreaded virus responsible for the death of more than 4000
people in West Africa. That same Ebola that has finally been diagnosed and transmitted
in Dallas, where I am located. I will be lying if I said that I do not worry
about this disease potentially spreading to many more people in the DFW
Metroplex. It certainly doesn’t help when I see or hear people sharing
unfounded conspiracy theories like the one below:
I am not even going to talk about Chris Brown, who recently shared
his Ebola conspiracy theory on Twitter. Avoid the conspiracy theories! We are
better able to combat this disease united, than when we focus on unfounded
claims about the origins of Ebola.
As a person who has benefitted both from obtaining a
journalism and information science education, I thought it wise to share a
little bit of the information I know about Ebola. I hope that this post will help
someone learn a little bit more about this very deadly disease.
1)
Ebola
is not an airborne disease! You have to come in contact with an Ebola
patient’s bodily fluids to get infected by that virus.
You are not likely to catch Ebola from breathing the air in
Dallas, Liberia or other parts of the world fighting this dreaded disease. According
to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),Ebola does not affect water or food,
although it has been spread in Africa as a result of handling wild animals
hunted for food (such as monkeys) and contact with infected bats (Yuck! I’m
scared of bats).
2)
If
you experience the following symptoms, please rush to the hospital
immediately. Your chances of beating Ebola are higher with early treatment
(mostly hydration).
Don’t
self-diagnose. I have suffered from typhoid fever before and I experienced all
but one of the symptoms listed above (the last one). However, I would rather be
put in isolation and then be told I have malaria or typhoid, than to
self-diagnose myself and find out I have Ebola at a later date.
3) If your neighbor has been put in isolation, there is still a very low
probability that you might have contracted the disease.
4)
Prevention
is always better than cure: I grew up knowing that. It is no
different now that we are dealing with Ebola. Keep in mind that there is no FDA
approved drug for the disease.
5)
Finally,
keep those brave healthcare workers in your thoughts. “Ebola nurse” is also not
a name you call patients, especially ones who risked their lives to protect us
all. They have names. They are human beings. Respect that.
Most of the
information on this page was taken from the CDC website. Please follow this
link for more information about Ebola and how
to prevent it.
Make your own free
cartoons at http://www.toondoo.com
