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The Ebola Outbreak: What Americans Need to Know

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News of Ebola being diagnosed in America has many people wondering, "Should I worry?"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is releasing information regarding what you should know about the Ebola virus and what's being done to protect its spread.

A person exposed to Ebola can begin to show symptoms within two to 21 days. This is called the incubation period.

Symptoms usually begin with a high fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, and stomach pain.

Those symptoms are often followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding, also called hemmoraging.

That bleeding can be internal, which is often what causes death. It can come from the nose, mouth, or other areas of the body.

CDC Director Tom Frieden said the agency is doing all it can to protect American citizens from this threat.

"It's a severe disease with a high case fatality rate, even with the best care," he said. "But there are core tried and true public health interventions that stop it."

The CDC said Ebola is not nearly as contagious as many other viruses. It does not spread through the air like the flu. It only spreads from direct contact with bodily fluids, such as blood, saliva, or sweat.

It only takes a small amount of fluid to cause an infection, and the contact can be as minor as a handshake because we often have small openings on our bodies that we sometimes don't even notice.

Although a person may be infected with Ebola, the CDC said the person is only contagious when he or she starts exhibiting symptoms, such as a fever.

They say the key to containing the disease is a process called "contact tracing," whereby the sick patient identifies anyone he or she has touched since becoming symptomatic.

Those contacts are monitored for 21 days and are isolated if symptoms begin.

"I have no doubt that we will stop this in its tracks in the U.S.," Frieden said. "But I also have no doubt that as long as the outbreak continues in Africa, we need to be on our guard."

An Ebola outbreak is considered over if there are no new cases after two consecutive incubation periods, or 42 days.

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About The Author

Lorie Johnson
Lorie
Johnson

As CBN’s Senior Medical Reporter, Lorie Johnson reports on the latest information about medicine and wellness. Her goal is to provide information that will inspire people to make healthy choices. She joined CBN in 2008 and has interviewed some of the world's leading doctors and researchers from The Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke, and more. She kept viewers up to date throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with regular appearances onThe 700 Club, Faith Nation, and Newswatch. She has reported on many ground-breaking medical advancements, including the four-part series, Build a