Doctor being tested for Ebola

A doctor who participates in Doctors Without Borders is being tested for Ebola in New York City today.  Craig Spencer, from Harlem, is awaiting results of his Ebola testing after he recently worked in an Ebola-affected country.  He returned to the US within 21 days and has now developed a fever.  The 21 day period is very important because this is the incubation period for Ebola and represents the time in which a person would present with symptoms.  The fact that the patient has a fever does not alone mean he has Ebola since he could have a fever from a cold, stomach flu, etc.

Of note is that we still have not had a single person in the United States with Ebola that was infected outside of a hospital setting.  The two nurses that are currently infected were both caring for a very sick Ebola patient and this patient was in close contact with Ebola patients in West Africa.  This should come as somewhat of a reassurance that the general public is not contracting Ebola.  While this is something that could change, Ebola seems to be pretty well contained in the United States.

The media has been hyping Ebola on an hourly basis, but I can't say that the public fear is entirely unrealistic.  This is a deadly virus and it is now in the United States.  It is, however, very important to remember that we only have 3 diagnosed cases and possibly one new one.  Unless you travel to West Africa, this is still a contained disease and officials are cautiously optimistic that an outbreak is unlikely.

Are you worried about Ebola?

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