CDC Director: Ebola Outbreak Possible

The fear of Ebola is spreading worldwide today as the Director of the World Health Organization declares the virus a public health emergency. Margaret Chan says that several more countries will eventually see the Ebola virus. The main question now, is how will they respond?

Here in the U.S., Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Tom Frieden, says IT IS POSSIBLE for some travelers to become sick while they are in the US, and that’s very hard to prevent because Ebola can lie dormant inside a human body for up to three weeks. The CDC does have protocols in place should a passenger become sick on a plane to limit their exposure to others on board.

Dr Frieden says it’s unlikely that Ebola breaks out in America though because they do NOT believe Ebola is contagious during the dormant stages. It’s only AFTER the person starts vomiting and bleeding internally that they emit the deadly plague.

While a breakout could still happen here in the US, it’s much more likely to happen somewhere else. West African countries are poverty-stricken and void of advanced healthcare. Many people are malnourished and the national immunity is lower than it is here. Not only that, but dead victims of Ebola can still be contagious. Poor burial practices are contributing to the Liberian breakouts.

So far, this latest round of Ebola has killed nearly a thousand people and – once infected – the death rate can be as high as 90 percent. President Obama says it’s still too soon to declare or approve a drug to treat the virus, but some experimental drugs have shown minor improvements.

Whatever the cure may be, the risk of the Ebola outbreak is far from over. Right now, the best case scenario is another three to six months before the panic from this plague is past.