Ebola: Real Danger or Perceived?
By: Sunint B.
Ebola. It’s on our minds right now, while some of us feel safe, while others feel that it will never get to us. Some people are starting to get really worried. But is it actually a danger to us, or are we just in over are heads? According to statistics, an American’s chance of getting Ebola this year is only 1 in 13.3 million!
From a study conducted by Harvard University and the World Health Organization
That’s even less then dying from a plane crash or lightning this year, and yet very few people are worried about that. That percentage is actually higher then it should be. The reason for this is that starting from the first reported case of Ebola in North America, the average Ebola case being brought over from a foreign country is averaging around one per month, and is usually spread to two more people. But you have to remember that the people getting infected in North America are usually doctors and nurses, people who are dealing with the fluids of patients and thus have a lot higher chance of catching the disease. So in reality, unless you are a doctor or nurse working with Ebola patients, your chance is even lower. These statistics are also for Americans, and Ebola has actually arrived in America. Ebola hasn’t gotten to Canada yet, and so your chance is even lower.
So really, why are we worrying? The chance is so low, and even if you catch it there’s around a 30% chance you will survive. Ebola is only a perceived danger to us in North America. The people who should be worrying are the ones in places like Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Monrovia. Instead of worrying, we should increase our efforts for helping these people. Over 12,000 people have been infected in these areas, and almost 8,000 dead! These are the people who should be worrying, and who we, as privileged Canadians, should increase our efforts to help these people.