Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a rare and deadly disease that is spread by physical contact with the blood and bodily fluids of someone showing symptoms of the disease.

Georgia Southern recently held a meeting to discuss how the campus was prepared to deal with infectious diseases such as the influenza and Ebola viruses. Officials from the GSU Pandemic Influenza and Emergency Infectious Disease Committee discussed what Ebola is and how to prevent it from spreading in detail.

In a short article, Dr. Isaac Fung, a department of epidemiology assistant professor stated, “If you have not had any symptoms of Ebola for 21 days since leaving a West African country with Ebola outbreaks, you do not have Ebola.”

After Thomas Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States, passed away, the American people began to worry about their safety in regards to this disease. The fact of the matter is that only one of the nine people treated for Ebola in the United States has died. The only reason that Duncan did die from Ebola was because a he was misdiagnosed when he first arrived to the hospital.

At the meeting held a few weeks ago, Fung and his staff explained ways to prevent the disease and recognize symptoms of the infection. Steps of prevention include:

-washing your hands thoroughly

-not touching the bodily fluids of sick individuals

-avoiding unnecessary travel to affected countries.

In response to how much the United States has to worry about this virus, Fung said, “If you have not been to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and if you have not been in contact with anyone who is infected with Ebola, then your risk of contracting Ebola is basically zero.”

That being said, if you do think that you or someone you know is infected, you should seek medical care as soon as possible. Let the doctor know what symptoms you are experiencing beforehand and if you have been to or have had contact with anyone that traveled to West Africa. On your way to the health care facility, do not come in contact with other people and do not take public transportation.

Symptoms of Ebola:

-headache

-stomach pain

-muscle pain

-vomiting

-diarrhea

-unexplained bruising or bleeding

-fever greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit