For the past month we have been hearing about the deadly disease named Ebola, which is present in the majority of countries in Africa. It has recently been relative in the United States, because an infected man from Liberia spread it to two innocent American nurses who were only trying to help the man.

The man who brought Ebola to America was Thomas Duncan from the country of Liberia in Africa. He flew overseas to visit his family in Dallas, Texas, and needed to go to the hospital thinking he had the flu. Only it was something much worse. The man was soon diagnosed with Ebola and placed in quarantine into Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

Within a short matter of time in being treatment, the patient died. Within days, two of the nurses that were helping to take care of him were soon afflicted with this highly contagious disease. Disappointingly the protective Hazmat suit mandatory for the nurses to wear was not fully sufficient in protecting them from the virus.

Nina Pham and Amber Vinson are the two nurses who contracted the disease. These nurses are soon to be moved from the hospital which they worked at in Texas to special Ebola isolation units in Bethesda, Maryland, and Atlanta to be treated.

Sophomore Vanessa Alvarez “I think it’s a really sad disease and people need to take more seriously.” agreeing with her is Junior Bryanna LaRussa, “It is a serious matter that needs to be dealt with. I really hope it can be cured soon.”

The news of a man having Ebola in the United States sent a large number of Americans into a state of panic and sanitation. However, many people are unaware of is that Ebola is a virus, rather than an infection. This means that only the symptoms of the disease can be treated, not the disease itself.

Junior Jessica Vila said, “My first reaction to the Ebola in America was ‘what is this disease and how does this affect me?’ After finding out about the seriousness of this, I was genuinely worried for my health.”  Junior Camille Yodzis argues that, “I don’t understand why everyone is making such a big deal, this has been around since the 70s, it make it seem like America doesn’t care.”

The only way a person is able to get the disease is through transmission of bodily fluids.  However, it is helpful to practice common sense health measures as straying from sick people and using hand sanitizer.

A deployment of almost 4,000 will soon be sent to Liberia to help build hospitals, treatment and training centers. Even though. these soldiers will not be in direct contact with any of the ebola patients, they will still be trained about effective ways to protect themselves from this virus. This includes how to put on and take off the protective suits and effective ways to remove tainted substances.

Now we can only hope that sometime in the near future doctors and researchers will be able to find a cure for this deadly disease.Between the brave doctors and soldiers offering aid, ebola might be able to be stopped once and for all.

To find out more about the virus itself, visit The Center for Disease Control and Prevention