Hot Topic: Ebola

We at St. Louis Public Library have received several questions about the Ebola virus over the last few months, as the hemorrhagic fever has infected and killed thousands in Africa. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control announced that a patient in Dallas, Texas, was diagnosed with the disease, following a trip to Liberia. That patient is being treated in isolation at a hospital in Dallas, in the hopes of decreasing the chance of exposure to other people.


While this is certainly a scary disease, it is well worth taking a moment to step back and learn about what exactly Ebola is and how it is spread.

According to the National Library of Medicine, Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a virus that affects humans and other primates, and is spread through direct contact to blood and other secretions from an infected individual, thus making it not nearly as contagious as other diseases (such as the flu or measles). A couple of things make this virus a bit scarier though:

• First, the early symptoms of Ebola are similar to other, less severe conditions and include fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and lack of appetite. Symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to the virus. The fact that these symptoms also occur in several milder viruses makes it hard to diagnose someone in the early stages of Ebola. However, the CDC has urged those who have any reason to suspect that they may have been exposed to Ebola and is experiencing these symptoms to be treated in isolation and get blood tests done.
• Second, there is no cure for Ebola, and approximately 50% of those infected die of the disease. There have been some experimental treatments developed, although they have not been tested in humans, nor have they been produced in significant quantities. Right now, the CDC is urging healthcare workers to treat symptoms as they appear.

It is important to remember that there has been just one diagnosed case of Ebola in the United States, and the CDC has stressed that the chances of an outbreak here are low: "Ebola is not spread through casual contact; therefore, the risk of an outbreak in the U.S. is very low. We know how to stop Ebola’s further spread: thorough case finding, isolation of ill people, contacting people exposed to the ill person, and further isolation of contacts if they develop symptoms."

For additional information on Ebola, visit the CDC's page dedicated to the virus, which includes tips on preventing exposure. Another great resource is Kidshealth.org, which has a page devoted to explaining the disease to children.