Now that those FAQs about Ebola in the US are Outdated, here’s what you should know for your family

This is not to guilt-trip anyone in the US but so far, many have been able to not pay much attention to the fact Ebola victims’ children left to be orphans are shunned in their community and left to fiend for themselves, and face death.

The disease, also called hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF), is contagious and life-threatening and was first spotted in Africa in 1976, and is named for the Ebola river in the Congo. It broke out in recent months in my native Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea (with one case in Nigeria and another in Senegal).

As with many epidemics and pandemics, when they are not affecting us directly or are at our shores, it is quite easy for us in the US and the West, generally, to go about our daily lives aloof, in a way, to global suffering, which occurs daily worldwide.

However, the first verified and confirmed case of ebola was diagnosed in Dallas, Texas today.

And now we know that recent Centers for Disease Control information (spotted in Time in August 2014) is already outdated:

Are we safe in the United States?
Yes. There have been no reported cases of Ebola spreading to the U.S. The two American aid workers who recently became infected with Ebola in West Africa were flown back to the U.S. and hospitalized immediately. While Ebola is contagious, it is not as contagious as the flu. Special medical planes and vehicles were used to transport the infected patients to prevent the disease from spreading.

Can the Ebola outbreak be stopped?
Yes. Experts know how to control Ebola. They are now working to stop the outbreak in West Africa, which is the best way to protect people in the U.S. and around the world. Once Ebola is brought under control in the infected countries, there will be no new cases and the virus will stop spreading. However, experts are unsure of how long it will take to end the current Ebola outbreak.

However, notwithstanding, now that it has landed in the US, it is probably safe to assume all slow-moving efforts to get clinical trials done on human patients to advance the discovery of a vaccine and treatment for patients will be accelerated.

The one case we have here now is from a man who traveled from Liberia but showed no symptoms when he arrived, although he had been in contact with family members who had the disease while he was in Liberia. The CDC is tracking those he had been in contact with since then to notify them and make sure they are being monitored.

Here is to hoping it is discovered soon. Until then, for those of you who may be concerned, and may have come in contact with someone that patient encountered and not know it, all you can do is wash your hands frequently and stay sterile.

“One of the most important measures for preventing the spread of pathogens is effective hand washing,” the CDC states. “This hygienic behavior has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of child deaths from diarrhea (the second leading cause of child deaths) by almost half and from pneumonia (the leading cause of child deaths) by one-quarter which together are responsible for approximately 3.5 million child deaths every year.”

Beyond Ebola, with regular hand washing hands with soap, families and communities can help reduce child morbidity rates from diarrheal diseases by almost 50 per cent.”

Stay safe!

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