Issue Position:EBOLA Information Guide

Issue Position

I've heard from many of you with questions and concerns about the Ebola virus, and I will do my best to provide you with accurate, up-to-date information. Below you will find a factsheet on the virus, information on the federal government's response, and links for more resources.

First, it is important to remember that we are not facing an Ebola crisis in the United States. The crisis is being felt in 3 west African countries -- Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone -- poor countries where access to health care is very limited. So far, only four people in the United States have been diagnosed with Ebola -- a traveler from Liberia, two nurses who cared for him at a Dallas hospital and a doctor from New York who cared for Ebola patients in west Africa. Only one person -- the Liberian traveler -- has died. To put that into context, 36,000 Americans die every year in the United States from the flu.

SO, PLEASE, GET A FLU SHOT -- IT'S FREE UNDER MOST INSURANCE POLICIES AND IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

Second, the Ebola virus does not spread easily -- like the flu or a cold. It is not airborne -- you have to be in contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is showing symptoms.

Third, although one person has died from Ebola, American hospitals have been able to successfully treat the others who have contracted Ebola --the two nurses who contracted the disease and infected Americans who have returned from Liberia.

Information:

"Get the Facts: The Ebola Virus," from the Chicago Department of Public Health
What is the U.S. federal government doing?
What should international travelers expect?
I want to help -- what can I do?
Resources

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