Ebola has finally made its way to America. It has infiltrated the American borders, sliding past the airport security guards and into Dallas. Everyone’s worst nightmare has come true. Or so it seems.
Ever since the Ebola case was confirmed, social media is a-buzz with fear of the Ebola virus. People are angry because “Of course, it was Texas.” People are posting about how the people coughing next to them on the train must have Ebola, and the bottom line is, “We are all going to die.”
Now slow down. Yes, Ebola has wreaked absolute havoc in West Africa. But West Africa and America are two completely different places. America has the advantages of a well-equipped healthcare system, and we are prepared.
Every hospital in the nation is on high alert looking for Ebola. Labs and hospitals have been preparing and waiting for its arrival for months. In America, we have the ability to quarantine people to prevent diseases from spreading and the medical power to give victims a fighting chance at beating the virus. America has prevented similar outbreaks before. We can do it again.
Most Americans have faith and trust in the healthcare system, something that cannot be said for West Africa. West Africans have a long, hard, history of deceit and pain, causing justified mistrust of westerners and healthcare. This makes it hard to provide aid and education in the area.
Most importantly, public health can use the great power of epidemiology to track down and observe every person who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus. If the Ebola virus starts to spread, health officials will know and be able to prevent an outbreak as soon as possible. We have the luxury of knowing how it begins instead of suddenly dealing with thousands of sick patients.
Keep in mind that Ebola isn’t highly contagious. To become infected, one must come into direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms. And the people who are showing symptoms aren’t in any shape to be walking around and having lunch at the local eatery. It’s pretty safe to say unless you personally know someone with Ebola or are touching bodily fluids on the regular, you aren’t at risk.
But despite all these facts, Americans are still outraged, fearful and concerned about the Ebola virus. Yes, Ebola is scary, but it is also unlikely that there will be an outbreak in America.
However, in the background noise of all this Ebola talk, a different virus has been doing a number on school children everywhere. Enterovirus D68. Enterovirus D68 is a respiratory illness that has sent many asthmatic children to the hospital this season.
Every year, multiple types of enteroviruses spread. This year, there was an increase in confirmed cases of enterovirus D68. As of Friday, 43 states and the District of Columbia have confirmed cases of enterovirus D68. The other strange thing about the virus this year is the severity of the respiratory illnesses it has caused.
Many children have been sent to the hospital with symptoms such as wheezing and difficulty breathing. Enterovirus D68 has been confirmed as a direct cause of death for one child and is linked in the deaths of at least four other children. Even more peculiar, 11 children in Colorado are experiencing limb weakness and paralysis that may be related to the virus.
So far, enterovirus D68 seems to only be causing major problems in asthmatic children. However, even healthy children are catching milder forms. Unlike Ebola, enterovirus D68 is contagious through touching an infected person (symptomatic or not) or surface. This means it’s hard to prevent and control.
The best way to prevent the spread of enterovirus D68 is by avoiding close contact with people who are sick, washing hands often and frequently disinfecting surfaces. But we all know how great children, the population most at risk, are at proper hygiene.
While everyone is running around in panic about Ebola, the mysterious enterovirus D68 is attacking our children right under our noses. The scariest thing about the enterovirus D68 is that it acts like a common cold. And while most people don’t even know they have it, in some cases, it is doing serious damage to young kids.
Instead of calling for a travel ban against the countries with an Ebola outbreak, which would actually make the outbreaks worse, Americans should be making sure that their kids are healthy and practicing good hygiene. Instead of worrying about catching a violent hemorrhagic fever, they should be worried about their children catching a deadly version of the common cold.
