Because of its recent outbreak, there are a lot of people talking about Ebola these days. Among the topics of discussion are how you can get it; who’s most susceptible to it; where it came from and other questions along those lines. Instead of sound and evidenced information, most people are passing along “he said/she said,” information, so in this article I am taking the most common misconceptions about Ebola and giving you the actual facts. Enjoy.

True or False: The Ebola virus can be spread through the air, by water, or through casual contact.

False! The Ebola virus is contagious; however, it is much harder to contract than many other diseases. Ebola can only be transmitted via contact with “the bodily fluids of an infected person,” and even then those fluids must make contact with the mucous membranes of another person (huffingtonpost.com). This means that in order for one to contract the virus, some opening in their body must come into contact with an afflicted person’s blood, sweat, tears, saliva, urine and the like.
The Center for Disease Control, or CDC, recently categorized “casual contact” with an Ebola patient as low-risk behavior (huffingtonpost.com). “Casual contact” is defined as being within 3 feet of a victim, or engaging in acts such as shaking hands, without wearing safety gloves.

True or False: Bringing Ebola patients to the United States for treatment could lead to a nationwide pandemic.

False! What many people fail to realize is that Ebola is not so unique that it is untreatable; and it is hard for the average person to contract. Healthcare workers make up the majority percentage of those who have the disease; and it has such a high fatality rate because it is spreading in countries with poor healthcare facilities and systems.
Standard sanitation procedures and clothing, such as gloves, gowns, and face masks are usually enough to protect the nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff who work closely with the disease from contracting it, but in countries like the ones that make up West Africa, where Ebola is spreading so rapidly, the healthcare facilities do not have the resources that we do in America.
“You go to a hospital in Sierra Leone or Liberia, and it’s not unusual for a healthcare worker to say, ‘We don’t have gloves.’ Or, ‘We don’t have clean needles,'" said Tulane University expert, Dr. Daniel Bausch. “All of the large outbreaks of Ebola or its sister virus, Marburg, happen in places where social and political unrest over the years have decimated the public health system" (huffingtonpost.com)

True or False: Someone who has survived Ebola can still pass it on to others.

False…But with a catch: It has been confirmed that only people who are showing the symptoms of Ebola can pass it on to other people. However, it has also been found that a man can transmit the virus through his semen for up to 3 months, while recovering from it (CDC.gov).