The Ebola outbreak isn't just a problem overseas. Can this reach the level of an epidemic?

The media has not given enough attention to the recent outbreak of the Ebola Virus in West Africa. Ebola has infected at least 2,127 people in Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone; of these, 1,145 have died.

The outbreak is believed to have begun in the diamond-mining district of Sierra Leone bordering Guinea. While this issue is not immediately affecting the United States, it is definitely an issue of concern for every country including ours as these outbreaks can spread to other continents rather easily. It is important for the average individual to be informed on the basics of the disease including the symptoms, how it spreads, and how to avoid contracting it, should it reach our country. 

There are four forms in which the Ebola Virus can manifest in humans. The form that is currently doing the most damage in Africa is Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola HF). The early symptoms of this form include fever, severe headache and muscle pain, and can develop into symptoms including weakness, diarrhea and vomiting accompanied by internal and external bleeding, according to the CDC. Doctors in the area have considered using experimental treatment methods due to the fact that no proven treatments or vaccines exist for the Ebola Virus. 

One of the biggest obstacles to successfully managing the Ebola virus from spreading is the increasing number of doctors who are leaving the country out of concern for their own health. For instance, Liberia, a country with a population of about 4 million people, has fewer than 250 doctors remaining. Of these, seven doctors have contracted the Ebola Virus and two have died. In addition to this, more than 170 relief workers have contracted the virus and 80 have died as a result. Some doctors and relief workers that have contracted the virus have been flown back to the US and are being treated in hospitals. The doctors and relief workers are more than justified in sparing themselves from this atrocious virus which takes the lives of a vast majority of those who contract it, but the problem remains that there is a decreasing number of medical officials working to control the outbreak. 

Another detriment to the relief workers’ ability to contain the outbreak and treat infected individuals is the violent reaction from uninfected local citizens who are extremely opposed to these holding centers existing within their area. On Saturday, August 16, a few hundred enraged citizens broke through the gates around a school that had been converted into a holding area for the infected individuals and stole everything from mattresses to recently delivered medical supplies. They did so in the hopes of driving these people out and shutting down the holding area. There are many obstacles to successfully managing this outbreak, but the new coordinator of Ebola related concerns for the UN, Dr. David Nabarro, along with the UN, will have to figure something out soon or take the risk of this outbreak reaching the level of an epidemic.