Even though some health officials say the risk of Ebola spreading in the U.S. remains small, anxieties remain high after it was revealed on Wednesday that a second Dallas nurse tested positive for the virus.
But what is the most contagious aspect of Ebola? Health experts say public hysteria.
Ebola has caused over 4,400 deaths in West Africa, whereas only one death has occurred in the U.S. While a study published by Risk Management found that the risk for Ebola becoming a global pandemic is small, the director of the CDC compared the virus to the AIDS epidemic.
"In the 30 years I've been working in public health, the only thing like this has been AIDS," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said. "And we have to work now so that this is not the world's next AIDS."
According to the CDC, the Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting several countries in West Africa, including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, as well as reported cases in Nigeria, Madrid, Spain and Dallas, Texas.
According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 65 percent of Americans are somewhat or very concerned about the threat the virus could spread across the U.S.
We know that Ebola is not an airborne virus, meaning that it can only be transmitted through direct contact through the bodily fluids of an infected person. It only spreads when a person who is infected is actively showing symptoms. The virus can live on places like doorknobs and countertops for up to a few hours.
Those with Ebola suffer from a fever, headache, joint and muscle aches and a sore throat, with more severe symptoms including a rash and internal and external bleeding. According to the World Health Organization, the virus can have up to a 90 percent case fatality rate.
We also know that people cannot be infected through water and water cannot kill the virus, despite the recent comments made by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. However, chlorine and bleach can kill the virus.
"Officials will have to be very, very careful," says Paul Slovic, president of, a nonprofit Decision Research, which studies public health and perceptions of health threats. "Once trust starts to erode, the next time they tell you not to worry— you worry."
Only four hospitals in the U.S. have biocontainment units and are properly trained in handling the virus; however, there are only a total of 19 beds between the four hospitals.
Still, health experts believe that the anxiety over Ebola is the most contagious aspect of the disease. The anthrax scare is the most recent incident that caused mass anxiety, which caused people to fear white powder, but the worries soon died.
To put things in persepctive, the flu kills 30,000 people in the U.S. in some years, but many Americans opt not to get a flu shot.
The only people at direct risk now are the health care workers treating the patients. They make up to six percent of deaths related to the outbreak.
Health psychologists say that hysteria is caused as a instinctual reaction when little is known or there is not enough time to process the severity of the situation.
