Preparation vs. Paranoia

OK everyone. I feel compelled to get up on my soapbox to talk about Ebola and the hysteria that is beginning to take over Facebook. I follow several homesteading pages on FB, and one thing that is beginning to grate on my nerves is how many are posting articles about Patient Zero and the "looming pandemic" that is going to plague the world.

Let me begin by saying this: there is nothing wrong at all with trying to be prepared. It will serve you much better than NOT being. But, part of being prepared (specifically for viral outbreaks, in this instance) is knowing HOW things are spread, incubation times, warning signs, and how to respond in the event of contraction.

One of the page moderators of a homesteading site (I have since stopped following them, BTW) I spoke with haughtily asked if I REALLY thought we would be told if this virus got out of hand.

Honestly? Hell no - I don't think the CDC, the World Health Organization, or even our own government would ever tell the mass population of a pandemic. Why? Because it would create mass hysteria, which in turn would lead to chaos, which would make a very bad situation MUCH worse. This, again, leads back to the fact that choosing to be knowledgeable and prepared for different situations is never a bad thing.

The paranoia and irrational "sky falling" fear over this virus, in my opinion, is being perpetuated by media who sensationalize and skew facts in order to get more readers. One particular article I read about "Patient Zero" made the bold statement that "additional people who may have been exposed to Ebola includes every person who used the ambulance which the patient was transported in, since the vehicle was still in operation two days after it was used to take the man to a Dallas hospital."

The article calls into question how the CDC could possibly have things "under control" because of the ambulance being used. It sounds compelling and scary. One thing the author did not do, however, was support her statement with any evidence, such as discussing the virus' length of survival outside a host. Nor did she offer any comparative information between Ebola to the mode of transmission / survival rate outside host of other common communicable diseases. Probably because it would have invalidated her stance of negligence or conspiracy in the CDC's efforts.

For instance, we currently have 1 case of Ebola in the US. The virus can be spread through blood, saliva, semen, and other bodily fluids. The virus can survive in dried material for a number of days. (This would mean IF patient zero coughed, sneezed, or bled in the ambulance, and it was NOT cleaned up and was allowed to dry, another person could potentially be exposed to the virus IF they rubbed an open wound against or licked the exact same area as the dried Ebola virus - which is unlikely.)

Last year in the U.S., another much more prevalent - and VERY contagious disease - Mycobaterium Tuberculosis was reported in 9,582 NEW cases. Also, according to the CDC, there were 536 deaths from TB in 2011 (the most recent year this data is available for). TB is highly communicable and can survive MONTHS outside a host. You would be much, much, much likelier to contract TB from an ambulance than you would be to catch Ebola. But, nobody is running around panicking about it.

Or, what about Hepatitis C? There are approximately 3.2 million people in the US alone who have Hep C, with approximately 170,000 new cases being reported EACH YEAR. Like Ebola, Hep C has no cure and can be transmitted by blood. Also, according to the CDC, approximately 26 Americas DIE EACH DAY due to Hep C complications. Hepatitis C can be spread through blood, and the virus can survive in dried blood for several weeks. Similarly to Tuberculosis, you are much more likely to contract Hep C than you are Ebola. But you don't hear much about this, either.

So, is Ebola scary? Absolutely. Is it something that should be taken seriously? Absolutely. Should people be well informed about the virus? Absolutely! But people should also be knowledgeable enough to have some perspective and not panic. If everyone panicked about the possibility they could catch something potentially deadly, nobody would ever leave their homes.

Be prepared. Don't be paranoid. Do your research! Here are some good places to start:

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention : http://www.cdc.gov/
*World Health Organization : http://www.who.int/en/
*Office of Global Affairs : http://www.globalhealth.gov/
*Mayo Clinic : http://www.mayoclinic.org/