With more than 4,000 deaths in West Africa, and the first official death of a U.S. patient less than two weeks ago, how real is the threat of catching Ebola compared to the common flu?As flu season approaches, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department says you may want to worry more about getting the flu shot than worrying about the deadly disease.
You’ve heard of it by now, but what are the chances of you getting Ebola?
Tim Timmons, Communicable Disease Program Supervisor with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department says chances are low in comparison to more common illnesses seen every year. “The risk for people is very low, versus something like influenza,” said Timmons. Influenza season is something that we’re coming into. “Every year, depending on the severity of the flu season, we lose 3,000 to 49,000 individuals to flu-related illness.”
Unlike the flu which can be an airborne virus, Ebola can only be spread by direct contact with blood or bodily fluids through an open sore, wound, or the eyes, nose, or mouth of a person who has obvious symptoms. Timmons says this makes the likelihood of contracting Ebola very low.
“The risk of getting cancer is a lot higher,” said Timmons. “The risk of coming in contact with HIV and getting it through blood or sexual contact is a lot higher than coming into contact with someone who has Ebola.”
Catching This Is More Likely Than Catching Ebola was originally published on blackdoctor.org
