What You Need To Know About The First Ebola Case In The US Ebola now has its first diagnosis in the U.S., and while concerning, its not entirely surprising. Given how interconnected our world is, the CDC has long said that its possible Ebola could make it here, though its unlikely it would spread widely. Heres what you need to know, now that theres a patient with Ebola in Dallas. Can I get Ebola? No one is immune to Ebola, but that being said, the only way Ebola is transmitted is through bodily fluids like vomit and diarrhea and blood. You really have to be up close and personal with an Ebola patient to be at risk for contracting the disease, which is why, so far anyway, Ebola has spread primarily among family members of the infected as well as those caring for them. Its not easy to catch Ebola, especially since it does not spread through the air. (To understand why it spread see the 5 Biggest Mistakes in the Ebola Outbreak.) But I heard it could spread through the air. A renowned infectious disease expert named Michael Osterholm wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times that said airborne Ebola is possible if the virus mutates enough. As TIME reported in the past, anything is possible with viruses, but there are many other mutations that are more likely than a change in the mode of transmission—meaning how you catch it. For instance, a virus could become more virulent—more contagious—or could develop incubation periods that are longer than the current estimate of 21 days. But in general, scientists are not very concerned about that. Whats the likelihood it will spread in the U.S.? Not very, though the patients direct contacts must be screened. On Tuesday, director of the CDC Dr. Tom Frieden said in a press conference: The bottom-line here is I have no doubt that we will control this case of Ebola so that it does not spread widely. The CDC has consistently said that given the quality of the U.S. health care system, its very unlikely that there will be significant spread of the disease on U.S. soil. Any hospital in the U.S. with an isolation unit—which is most of them—has the ability to isolate a person with Ebola as well as treat them with supportive care. Even though Ebola has no cure, monitoring patients heart rates and providing fluids and electrolytes can go a long way. For instance, if a patients potassium plummets, doctors and the U.S. can replenish it fairly easily. Thats a different situation from West Africa, where health care workers are dealing with a significant lack of resources and less sophisticated equipment. But could there be more cases? Its certainly possible. This is not the first time Ebola has crossed borders via air travel. Nigerias outbreak started when a Liberian-American man infected with the disease traveled from Liberia to Nigeria. That same patient was en route to Minnesota. In a press conference on Tuesday, Dr. Frieden said: As long as the outbreak continues in Africa, we need to be on-guard. The CDC has been working for months with U.S. hospitals to make sure they feel prepared to handle any cases of Ebola by informing hospitals about the warning signs, as well as what kind of protective equipment they should wear. Experts predict there could be 20,000 Ebola cases in West Africa by November. Are the people on the plane at risk? Thats highly unlikely. Ebola is only contagious when a person starts exhibiting symptoms of the disease, like a fever. And even then, a person can only contract the disease from direct contact with bodily fluids. The patient with Ebola in Dallas did not start exhibiting symptoms until four days after landing in the U.S., which means its extremely unlikely people on his plane are at any risk. Why did the Dallas hospital originally send the patient home? Though we dont know the hospitals reasoning, we do know that Ebola presents similarly in the beginning to other diseases, like malaria for instance. Its possible the health care workers thought it was something else. After all, Ebola has never arrived in the U.S. before. The CDC said they are also unsure how the patient got infected. A health care worker traveling home from Liberia would likely set off more red flags. The CDC has still been prepping the U.S. health system for the possibility, which is why weve had so many false alarms. Should I be freaking out? The CDC and the Texas Department of Health are confident that Ebola will be contained in the U.S., and if the current patients health is similar to that of other infected people evacuated into the U.S., they have a better shot at survival. The diseases high mortality rate in West Africa is largely due to the state of the health care systems in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, as well as overcrowding and lack of resources. So what’s the bottom line? The Ebola outbreak as a whole is terrifying, with over 3,000 dead and the worst yet to come, according to reliable predictions, though how many cases will emerge down the line is the subject of much debate (see why its so hard to predict here). The new case is a reminder that an infectious disease outbreak like Ebola truly is a global health emergency.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 11:36:59 +0000
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