The Newsleaders
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • News Tips
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
The Newsleaders
No Result
View All Result

PineCone Pet Hospital MillerCarlin Serving all of central Minnesota locations!

Albany: 320-845-2035
Holdingford: 320-746-9994
St. Cloud: 320-252-7004
Upsala: 320-573-6234
Toll-free: 1-800-644-4058
Collegeville Stearns Bank
Home News

Learning Ebola facts can dispel fears

November 26, 2014
in News, Sartell – St. Stephen, St. Joseph
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

African countries where the Ebola disease is a major concern are only three countries of that huge continent’s 54 nations.

The African continent is so vast, in fact, the contiguous United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) could fit nearly four times in Africa.

Although nearly 6,000 people have died in three West African countries (Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea), nearly 15,000 people had the disease but recovered. The number of Ebola victims is extremely miniscule when compared to the total population in Africa, and there is no evidence the disease has spread dramatically to other African countries or other countries in the world.

Although concerns about Ebola are now worldwide, some people have over-reacted to the threat from the disease, sometimes in panic mode. The actual facts about Ebola should waylay most of those fears, according to information presented at the We Are Thankful food-packaging event Nov. 22 at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud (see related story).

These are the facts as presented by the Public Health Department of Stearns County Human Services.

  • Ebola is not spread through air, water or casual contact.
  • To become infected with Ebola, a person must come in direct contact with blood or body fluids from someone sick with Ebola. Such a contact must be through broken skin, eyes, nose or mouth. It could also be contracted through contact with needles that have been contaminated with blood or body fluids of a sick patient.
  • The most opportune time for Ebola infection spreading is when the person who is sick is in the later stages of the disease when the people are suffering so much they are unable to get out of bed, rendering them virtually helpless. The chance of getting Ebola from someone in the first, earliest stage of the disease is very low.
  • While Stearns County and central Minnesota does have quite a large population of people from Africa, most of those are immigrants from Somalia in East Africa, which is 5,000 miles from the three countries in West Africa where Ebola is worrisome.
  • People are much more likely to die of the flu or in a car accident than to come in contact with someone with Ebola.
  • The time from exposure to when symptoms first appear is two to 21 days, but the average time is eight to 10 days. Signs of Ebola can include fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain or unexplained bleeding or bruising. Those symptoms can be signs of other illnesses, too, not just Ebola.
  • Many Africans are experiencing stigma throughout the world just because Ebola is noted in three African countries. In some cases, African people have been shunned or avoided. The best way to help stop such stigmatizing behavior is to learn as many facts as possible about the disease and then to share them with others.
Previous Post

Sartell launches SeeClickFix for citizen reporting

Next Post

A historical perspective from 25 years ago – Nov. 24, 1989

Next Post

A historical perspective from 25 years ago – Nov. 24, 1989

Please login to join discussion

The Newsleaders Ad CMCU

Go Fund Me # 1 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Elizabeth Brunsvold
Cultural Connections
Jim Berg & Mary Kruger
Mary & John Davis
Sandy Denne
Bobbi & David Gouker
James & marry Graeve
Juliana Howard
Julia Joplin
Linda Kmitch
M. Molus
Sheila Nahan
Go Fund Me # 2 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!

Peggy & Michael Roske
Judy Scheuerell
Geraldine Schwab
James Stotko
James Towler
Anna Trobec
Kaye Wenker
Ellen Wahlstrom
Leona Wieland
Jeanie Wilkens
GAGEN & VASUGI RAMANATHAN
Go Fund Me # 3 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Nicole Borg
Erica Karger-Gatzow
Dane & Lori Listug-Lunde
Nadine Martin
Doris Minnerath
Merry Mund
Marilyn Peitso
Stephen Schwanke
Dianne Tuff
Dale Zacher
Private Donors

Search

No Result
View All Result

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Wood sentenced for killing two children
  • A list of school superintendent finalists expected March 1
  • Sartell man injured in snowmobile crash
  • Sales-tax revenue for Sartell on the up and up
  • Counting on sheep to get through COVID

City Links

Sartell
St. Joseph
St. Stephen

School District Links

Sartell-St. Stephen school district
St. Cloud school district

Chamber Links

Sartell Chamber
St. Joseph Chamber

Community

Calendar

Citizen Spotlight

Criers

People

Notices

Funerals/Visitions

Obituary

Police Blotter

Public Notices

Support Groups

About Us

Contact Us

News Tips

Submissions

Advertise With Us

Print Advertising

Digital Advertising

© 2021 Newleaders

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • News Tips
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising

© 2021 Newleaders

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In