What to know about Ebola

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jose Diaz
  • 377th Medical Group
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Ebola has been prominent in the daily news after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently confirmed the first case in the United States.  Even though Ebola continues to capture the world's attention, the possibility of contracting Ebola in the United States is quite remote. 

Casual contact does not transmit Ebola, and being close to an infected person is not enough to contract this disease.  Within the United States, healthcare workers in direct contact with patients, who are known to be infected, are at the greatest risk for contracting the disease.

The infection is not transmitted through air; therefore, it cannot be transmitted through a cough or sneeze.  The only way to become infected with the virus is through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an ill person or objects such as needles and syringes that have been contaminated.  If a person with Ebola does not yet show symptoms (which may include fever, fatigue, severe headache, muscle pain, unexplained bleeding or bruising, vomiting, and diarrhea), they cannot transmit the virus.   

Although many are concerned about Ebola, it is relatively difficult to transmit in comparison with other diseases, such as influenza, that claims tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. each year.  The United States has the public health infrastructure to monitor, prevent and if necessary, contain the spread of the Ebola virus.  When patients with Ebola are promptly diagnosed, isolated, and treated, the risk of spreading the disease to others is extremely low. 

The Ebola outbreak has affected five countries in West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone).  If you are deploying or traveling to one of these countries, please contact the Public Health Office in the 377 Medical Group at 505-846-3461/3436. 

For additional information about Ebola, please visit, http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/