Ebola Scare Spreads In The United States as First Death Case Recorded

Following the death of first American to contract the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Thomas Duncan, the United States is currently battling with widespread fear over the killer disease. The Cable News Network (CNN) reported at the weekend that US citizens have begun running helter-skelter seeking for diagnosis and possible healthcare even when they don’t have the virus at all. Authorities were also quoted to have begun preparation of ‘emergency rooms’ in anticipation of possible cases. According to the CNN, an emergency room doctor in Tennessee, Dr Mark Reiter, who is also the president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, many people with acute illnesses had been thronging hospitals, asking to be screened for Ebola fever. “I have seen several people who had acute illnesses worried that they may have Ebola,” he was quoted as saying. Reiter, however, said these patients were “unlikely candidates,” neither having been to West Africa, nor having had any contact with a symptomatic Ebola patient. “But it has gotten a tremendous amount of media coverage and some people are especially concerned about it, even if it is highly unlikely,” Reiter said. CNN added that a 2010 study that looked at emergency room traffic when swine flu was in the news saw a seven per cent increase in emergency room visits, maintaining that parents ought to also have been worried about their children catching the virus, as pediatric visits increased 19.7 per cent. “A recent Pew study showed 21 per cent of respondents are somewhat worried about Ebola and their personal health,” it reported. Also, the chief medical officer for disaster and emergency preparedness at Jackson Health System in Miami, Dr Abdul Memon, said officials have not seen a significant patient increase with the Ebola scare. “They do, however, get cases from time to time where people think they may have it. The hospital is careful to rule it out. “Our health department and the media do a really reasonable job of educating the community about how people get it. I think people are listening and we have not seen this rush of people. “If someone has had contact with someone who has Ebola symptoms or they have been in one of these countries, we want them to come, in if they feel sick, and we are ready for it. We will pay close attention” Memon said. Epidemic’s death toll hits 4,033