Two Americans Have Caught The Deadly Ebola Virus And It Is Now In The US

Two Americans infected with a contagious and often fatal disease, Ebola, will soon be evacuated from the African nation of Liberia and brought back to the United States.

According to the Washington Post:

The outbreak of the extraordinarily lethal Ebola virus has worsened in West Africa, with the contagion showing no sign of coming under control, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday to warn Americans to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

As Vox recently noted, this is the worst outbreak of Ebola the world has ever seen.

In the words of the director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC),

This is a tragic, painful, dreadful, merciless virus. It’s the largest, most complex outbreak that we know of in history.

Consequently, the CDC has sent 50 infectious-disease experts to the region and has asked US doctors to stay vigilant in terms of looking for signs of the disease in their patients.

According to CNN, one of the two patients being brought back to the United States will be cared for at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, which is very close in proximity to the headquarters of the CDC.

Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of Ebola is that there is no known cure at present. Consequently, says the Washington Post, the development of a vaccine has been made a top priority by federal officials.

Due to the extreme nature of the disease, many people seem worried that it could possibly spread in the US. Likewise, Twitter was overwhelmed with questions about the virus in the wake of this recent outbreak.

For those looking for more information and resources, the CDC's website gives an overview of the disease. Vox also gives a fantastic summary of the need-to-know facts surrounding Ebola.

Fears surrounding the disease are well-founded, as it is extremely serious and often kills anyone who contracts it. With that said, as NBC reports, the director of the CDC has said that an outbreak of Ebola in the US is very improbable.

Likewise, Vox notes,

The US has a strong health-care infrastructure, and experts say that means that Ebola here would never look like Ebola in West Africa.

Regardless, let's hope that the current outbreak in West Africa is contained quickly for the sake of the people in that region.

 via: Washington Post