[ot-caption title=”Clinician removes her outer gloves before disrobing and sanitizing on Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, in Anniston, Ala. (AP Photos/ Brynn Anderson)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AP6251549838531.jpg”]

The recent Ebola outbreak is very unsettling. People are fearing that this could be a real life “Contagion.” The truth is, Ebola, though deadly, is not contagious as long as body fluids are avoided.

The first Ebola outbreak was in 1976 in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Sudan. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa. There are five identified Ebola virus species, four of which are known to cause disease in humans.

The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest Ebola outbreak in history. It has spread to most West African countries and there are several other minor cases worldwide. The initial announcement occurred on August 29, 2014. Senegal’s Ministry of Public Health and Social Affairs announced a case of Ebola in Senegal. The case concerns a man from Guinea who traveled to Senegal. There were reported cases in the DRC, which are not related to the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.

The Ebola virus has managed to generate a lot of fear. It is a highly infectious virus that kills up to 90% of the people who catch it. The death rate in this outbreak has dropped to roughly 55% because of early treatment.

Researchers have not figured out where the Ebola virus came from and how it first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak. However, they believe that the first patient became infected through contact with an infected animal. After an infection occurs in humans, the virus can be spread through direct contact with body fluids and contaminated objects.

A person cannot contract Ebola from casual contact. Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in general, by food. The virus also does not live for long outside the body. UV rays from the sun and heat destroy it. Bleach kills it and plain soap and water can wash it away.

The symptoms of Ebola include fever (greater than 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit), severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal (stomach) pain, and unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising). Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

Currently, there is no cure for the Ebola virus, nor are there any specific treatments for Ebola patients. Patients are quarantined and hydrated, while healthcare workers monitor their oxygen and blood pressure levels. Recovery depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient’s immune response. Those who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.

On September 30, 2014, the CDC confirmed the first travel-associated case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States. Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, caught the virus in Liberia. He was being treated with experimental drugs in isolation in a Dallas hospital. On October 8, 2014, he died. The good news is that Ebola is not spreading in the United States.  While Ebola is far away from Fort Lauderdale, the primary nurse who treated the first U.S. victim of the virus, Thomas Eric Duncan, has recently tested positive for Ebola through a preliminary blood test. Despite wearing protective gear, the primary nurse, Nina Pham, was diagnosed and quarantined with the virus. Since she was quarantined, her status in the hospital has been updated from “stable” to “good”, but health officials are now in the process of searching for and identifying patients who had come into contact with the nurse.

The United States has announced new screening measures at entry points to check travelers for symptoms of the virus. These checkpoints are at the JFK, Newark in New Jersey, Washington Dulles, O’Hare in Chicago and Atlanta’s Hartsfield- Jackson. These airports handle 90% of international travelers to the United States. A handheld device will take temperatures and passengers will also fill out a questionnaire. Passengers with a fever or who answer “yes” to certain questions will be seen by a representative of the CDC.

Here at Pine Crest, AP Biology classes have been using the Ebola virus as a case study in the classrooms. Type One had the chance to speak to Mr. Schwartz, the AP Biology teacher, about the virus and its chances of spreading within the United States.

T1: Why do you think this disease has caused a lot of fear within our country?

Mr. Schwartz: Lack of education. In many cases it’s people not really understanding the situation, the biology behind it. We see global epidemics and we tend to get scared. That’s probably the case with anything because of the lack of understanding the situation.

T1: Do you think the virus will spread in America? Why?

Mr. Schwartz: It is probably unlikely. I think the way  this virus spreads requires situations that typically don’t take place in this country. We have clean water supplies, clean food supplies, we don’t have ritualized burials in which blood to blood contact would occur. It’s is highly unlikely that it would spread as quickly as it did in these African countries.

T1: Do you believe that our country has taken all of the necessary precautions to avoid the spread of Ebola? What else should they do?

Mr. Schwartz: Typically, yes. We are pretty good at making sure people are quarantined and that all the necessary regulations are in place. I think it’s about education. It’s highly unlikely. The biology of this particular virus, the way  that it spreads, it’s highly unlikely that it is going to spread.

Sources: BBC News, CNN News, NBC News, Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization