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November 5, 2014 VOLUME 30 NO.7 Visit online at www.collegiannews.com
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Beware of the Ebola Learn about the potentially fatal virus strain
By Naya Clark Staff Writer
W
ithin the last two months the term Ebola has topped Google searches, trending topics on Twitter, headlines on news stories, and become a topic of much debate and controversy. The recent Ebola scare has even led people to ride public transportation with makeshift hazmat suits for political statements and protection. Many people are afraid of Ebola simply because they don’t know enough about it. A common misconception regarding Ebola is that one can catch it simply by being near a person who has contracted the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Ebola, characterized by severe flu symptoms and more, is “a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains.” The potentially fatal virus has been a serious issue overseas in countries including Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Thousands of deaths have been linked to Ebola in these countries since the beginning of the current outbreak. When people from these countries travel to others, the threat of an Ebola pandemic comes in to play. Fear of catching this virus has increased especially in the
Georgia and Metro Atlanta area, home to the CDC. After two doctors, Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly, went overseas to treat Ebola, they contracted Ebola and were rushed to Emory Hospital to be treated. Many feared that the CDC would not be successful in quarantining the virus. A few even feared that Georgia would break out into some form of Ebola zombie apocalypse. Emory has taken several precautions in quarantining the virus, using CDC guidelines which require that healthcare workers: 1. Be rigorously and repeatedly trained in the steps involving infection control. 2. Wear proper personal protective equipment, with no skin exposure. This includes double gloves, waterproof boot covers, fluid resistant gowns, respirators, full face shields, surgical hoods, and water proof gowns. 3. Have a trained monitor in order to ensure that procedures are done correctly. According to the CDC, Ebola can’t be transmitted through air, water, or food; only through body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, semen, objects like needles and syringes or contact with a contaminated animal. The virus can only enter the body through the
Illustration by Jasmine Frierson.
eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin. Almost exclusively in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) gave a prediction of 10,000 new Ebola cases per week by December, and the CDC gave a worst-case scenario of 1.4 million in four months. America is expected to be less threatened by the virus, except from those travelling to and from heavily-infected areas. The GPC Student Health Center has posted a protocol regarding the Ebola virus, covering what Ebola is, its symptoms, and how it’s transmitted. According to the protocol, GPC students, staff, and faculty, are highly recommended to avoid nonessential travel to countries that have high numbers of Ebola patients and deaths like Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. If a student has traveled and returned from any of these countries, staff and faculty are recommended to contact their doctors. Students who have done so are recommended to contact Student Health for counseling. They are also advised to check their temperature twice daily in order to monitor fever, and report symptoms of Ebola such as headaches, joint and muscle pains, diarrhea, stomach pains, loss of appetite, vomiting, or weakness within 2 days of arriving from overseas.