TALLAHASSEE, FL (#WTXLDigital) - The CDC says that the 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in the history of the virus. With the first death from Ebola in United States, there is plenty of curiosity about how this virus spreads.
According to the CDC, Ebola used to be called Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever and has several strains originating from Africa.
How do people get Ebola? The CDC says that no one can get Ebola through water, food, or breathing in the same air as an infected person.
According to specialists, Ebola can only be transmitted through:
- touching the bodily fluids of someone who has been infected or has died from the virus
- touching objects that have been contaminated from victims' bodily fluids
- touching infected animals or their bodily fluids
So, according to the CDC, you can only be infected through direct contact. The CDC says that even if the infected person has died, others can still get the virus. Funeral directors and coroners in the U.S. are already taking precautions if they have to work with bodies of Ebola victims.
The CDC says that the virus poses no significant risk to the U.S. However, it won't hurt to know what the symptoms are.
According to the CDC's website, the symptoms for Ebola are:
- Fever (greater than 101.5°F)
- Severe headache
- Muscle pain
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)
The CDC says that the symptoms usually stay in someone's system anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure. However, the average is eight to ten days.
According to the FDA, there is no approved vaccine available for Ebola, even though there are experimental treatments out there.
However, with so much scare about virus, the scammers come out. The FDA recently sent out warning letters to three companies that claimed that they had Ebola treatments and vaccinations for sale.
Click here to download the CDC's flyer on facts Americans should know about Ebola.
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