Our view: No need to fear Ebola virus

Looking at the national news, it’s hard not to feel fearful of something that could happen. One of those things people seem to be panicked about is Ebola.

The Ebola virus being transferred to the U.S. has a lot of people talking. The rare and deadly virus made its way to the U.S. after a man from Liberia flew to Dallas, Texas and has since infected two other people, both of whom are nurses.

But, people expect the worst and expect a huge outbreak to start in the U.S. Across the county and even here in Sweetwater County, health workers are preparing to respond to cases of Ebloa.

Fred Baldwin, a Republican candidate for House District 18, said during a forum last week that the disease would sneak up on people the same way the Hanta virus did.

But, we shouldn’t worry about it.

Ebola is a very contagious disease, if one is exposed to bodily fluids from someone who has symptoms of the disease. So, sharing a plane with someone who has the disease won’t result in being infected unless that carrier somehow explodes into a terrible mess of Ebola-packed liquids -- which isn’t one of the symptoms of the disease.

A common problem many of the countries dealing with Ebola outbreaks have in common is a lack of modern health care.

They’re poor nations whose residents don’t have the medical care available in industrialized nations.

This means that those caring for ebola-stricken people are often exposed to their bodily fluids, increasing their risk to contracting Ebola.

One of the other problems throughout the African nations battling the disease is a substantial mistrust of their respective governments. Many people believe Ebola doesn’t exist and families, after having loved ones taken by health workers for treatment and quarantine, have raided hospitals and camps to free their family members. Unfortunately, many of those people suffered from Ebola’s symptoms and infected others helping “liberate” them from the hospital, as well as the people caring for them after they were returned home.

The U.S., in comparison, doesn’t have those same issues to deal with. As a whole, we have competent medical care locally and nationally. So far, the three cases to have sprung up in the U.S., are widely known and those associated with them have been under observation as well.

In short, there really isn’t much to be worried about.