Recently the nation has been clouded with fear of a highly contagious, deadly virus that has now entered the United States: Ebola. The reason Ebola is so easily spread is because it is transmitted through bodily fluids. So for example, that guy on the bus who just coughed all over your face, could be giving you a deadly disease. Someone who has ebola might not even know it for up to three weeks.
Symptoms can take anywhere from two to twenty one days to present themselves after exposure. Many common symptoms are high fever, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
As of right now, there is no cure or vaccine for ebola. However, researchers are trying like mad to try and find both a cure and a vaccine. The problem is some people feel like not enough is being done to cure it because it is taking too long. We can sit back, cross our fingers and hope it doesn't spread and wait to hear, or we can get down to the grit and work to find a cure.
Just this past week, Eric Duncan, was taken to a Dallas hospital where he was and remains the only person in the United States diagnosed with Ebola.
A top federal health official said that a man [Eric Duncan] was "fighting for his life" and expressed confidence that the disease would not spread widely to those with whom he had come in contact.
I thought it was very interesting, as my brother attends Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, that my mom this past Friday received a letter from the school assuring parents that they were closely monitoring the information about the Ebola case.
I never really thought about it until my mom showed me the email, but the possibility of Ebola breaking out right near a college campus is a terrifying thought. Disease would be running rampant throughout a college campus. Without a cure, it would be frightening to have our future of bright minds be compromised by a fatal disease. Luckily, we are doing everything in our power to isolate this one case and stop it from spreading. Fingers crossed my brother won't have to worry about it!
Jen-
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, the possibility of an outbreak of a disease that can spread so eaily (on a college campus) is an alarming thought. I think that medical workers will really start to work hard on finding a cure, now that a case has been discovered in the United States. However, Eric Duncan's statement about how he believes that no one is at risk for catching Ebola, from him, doesn't really make me feel better about the outbreak. How would he know anything about whether it has spread to someone else or not? Should we trust him, just because he says that he is confident? (There is still a chance that it could have spread to someone else.)
Ebola being a disease that passes through bodily fluids is actually a huge relief. If the disease were transmitted through the air it would have infected thousands even millions more by now. If it was transmitted through air we would have much more reason to fear then we do now as a nation. Still I hope your brother and SMU students all stay healthy.
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