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Ebola, and why you should stop panicking
11 years ago
There have been more than a few local furries who have been expressing varying amounts of distress about the fact that an Ebola patient is right here in Dallas. In a best-case scenario, this is nonsensical; in a worst-case scenario, this is actually detrimental. This is true because fears of an outbreak in Dallas - or Texas - or America, really - are baseless.
Allow me to explain why.
First, let's cover the reasons why the outbreak was successful in Africa.
1) For entirely too long, nobody knew that the outbreak even was Ebola.
2) By the time anyone realized that it was Ebola, it was no longer a few isolated cases, it was a full-fledged epidemic.
3) This all happened because the hospitals in the affected area are almost always understaffed, underequipped, and underfunded.
---
With me so far? Now let's look at how things are here in America.
----
Why Ebola will never flourish in America:
1) We are aware of it. Acutely aware. That's our best weapon: We Know This Is A Thing.
2) In the extremely rare case that Ebola makes it to America - let's keep in mind, this ONE case is newsworthy enough to make it to the front page of USA Today - the patient is (and has been) swiftly isolated and treated.
3) To even be a hospital in America, you have to have staff, equipment, and money leaps and bounds beyond what you see in nations like Liberia. We are absolutely equipped to handle this.
---
TL;DR: The conditions that causes Ebola to become an issue in Africa simply do not exist in America. Unless you actively visit Africa, you have about the same chance of contracting Ebola as you do of winning the lottery while being hit by lightning.
Also, in case anyone didn't know, Ebola can only be spread by either eating infected food or coming into contact with the bodily fluids of a person who is infected. It is not airborne, it is not passed through the skin. As long as the food you eat is safe, you could stand in the same room as someone who is infected and give them a great big hug without concern.
So, yeah. Calm down.
Allow me to explain why.
First, let's cover the reasons why the outbreak was successful in Africa.
1) For entirely too long, nobody knew that the outbreak even was Ebola.
2) By the time anyone realized that it was Ebola, it was no longer a few isolated cases, it was a full-fledged epidemic.
3) This all happened because the hospitals in the affected area are almost always understaffed, underequipped, and underfunded.
---
With me so far? Now let's look at how things are here in America.
----
Why Ebola will never flourish in America:
1) We are aware of it. Acutely aware. That's our best weapon: We Know This Is A Thing.
2) In the extremely rare case that Ebola makes it to America - let's keep in mind, this ONE case is newsworthy enough to make it to the front page of USA Today - the patient is (and has been) swiftly isolated and treated.
3) To even be a hospital in America, you have to have staff, equipment, and money leaps and bounds beyond what you see in nations like Liberia. We are absolutely equipped to handle this.
---
TL;DR: The conditions that causes Ebola to become an issue in Africa simply do not exist in America. Unless you actively visit Africa, you have about the same chance of contracting Ebola as you do of winning the lottery while being hit by lightning.
Also, in case anyone didn't know, Ebola can only be spread by either eating infected food or coming into contact with the bodily fluids of a person who is infected. It is not airborne, it is not passed through the skin. As long as the food you eat is safe, you could stand in the same room as someone who is infected and give them a great big hug without concern.
So, yeah. Calm down.
Tiptoe
~tiptoe
I can't stop....I never started!
dotter
~dotter
Thank you, wise bunny, that was very helpful.
Randell44
~randell44
What would the news be without fear mongering though lol? :D.
