Ebola Virus In America: Should We Be Worried?
Ebola Virus In The U.S.A.
How It All Started
The story of the Ebola outbreak started from West Africa. Reports about its occurrence and huge number of causalities who were succumbing to it started surfacing soon after and reached the international media. Things reached their crescendo when reports of the havoc that the disease was wrecking primarily in West Africa and the speed with which it was spreading captured global attention.
Currently, Ebola outbreak is a global phenomenon, with fears that the spread of the disease is akin to that of HIV during its early days back in the 80s.
Primarily, the disease has affected three West African countries, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. However, reports that the disease is actually spreading across the world have sparked concerted international efforts to battle its possible spread and direct effects. The manner in which the disease spreads has put air travel operations across the world in the limelight as different governments seek to protect their citizens against possible exposure to the disease.
Warning Ebola
How the USA is Prepared
The government of the United States is completely prepared to tackle any incidence of the disease in the country. This is according to the statements made by public health officials in response to growing fears that the government may not be doing enough to protect the country against a possible occurrence of the disease.
There are several ways in which the government is prepared for a possible outbreak of Ebola, although this is an event whose occurrence is highly unlikely. For instance, the government has the capacity to detect a single case of Ebola in the country. Since the basic principle of preventing a possible outbreak of the disease in the country is having in place the right mechanism for early detection, isolation and treatment, the government can be said to be ready because it has the right mechanisms in place. The same can be said of many governments in the western part of the world.
Secondly, the ability to fully tackle a possible Ebola outbreak lies in the availability of effective treatments for the disease. Currently, the World Health Organization has authorized the use of an experimental form of a drug to treat Ebola patients. So far, the drug has proven to be an effective therapy against the disease, helping a number of patients on whom it has been used to fully recover from the grip of the disease. Furthermore, an experimental form of a vaccine against the disease is in the process of being tried out. If it is found effective, the vaccine will be an invaluable weapon in the fight against Ebola.
Preventive Measures Already Instituted
There are several preventive measures that have already been taken by the government in response to the Ebola scare. One of them is about screening passengers who are using air travel. Generally, the spread of Ebola occurs via air transport. This is what usually happens. An individual gets exposed to the disease-causing virus by accident. After exposure, the virus takes between 2 and 3 weeks before the first symptoms of fever appear, followed by massive hemorrhage through the openings of the body. During the incubation period, it is likely that the infected individual may travel out of the country in which the disease is present to a different one. If this happens, the person is likely to spread the disease to others.
This is why governments across the world are taking extraordinary measures to ensure that such a scenario does not occur. One way in which this is done is by screening passengers who are using air transport. Currently the government of the United States has instructed a number of airports to commence massive screening procedures for travelers who are coming in from Ebola-hit countries.
The Impact Of The Ebola So Far
So far, Ebola has killed well over 4,000 people in the world. According to the authorities, reported cases of infection of the disease are at about 8,000. This implies that the mortality rate of the disease is something to make individuals and governments across the world quite worried.
Another reason to worry about is that the mortality rate is set to rise with increasing deaths of individuals who had been affected before. This, therefore, calls for a concerted and well coordinated global response mechanism as a viable way of combating spread of the disease. Yet so far, the need for funding to combat the disease has not been fully met. This means that many of the initiatives that would have been put in place at the global scale have to wait. The impact of such delays in funding is greatly felt in countries that are heavily hit by the disease in West Africa.
Ebola Symptoms
Already the disease has had significant impact on the social and economic factors of the said countries. With the death toll from the disease increasing, the social fabric that holds the society in the countries is greatly affected.
The situation in Europe and the United States is completely different. Regardless of the fears by members of the public, it is highly unlikely that countries in this part of the world can suffer from the direct impacts of the disease in such a manner. Already identified cases of the disease have been effectively tackled. However, news of the disease spreading so fast to different areas like Latin America is a strong enough reason for the government to step up its contingency plans and preventive measures.
Our goal at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is to help you remain healthy at all times. We believe that health and wellness are primary needs of individuals that should be well taken care of. And for one to be healthy and well, information; timely information for that matter; is extremely important. That is why we take a keen interest in research studies on Ebola that are being carried out.
Ebola Virus In The US
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