It’s almost impossible to turn on your TV or browse the internet without coming across a headline about Ebola. It seems that a panic has spread across the country; a teacher was asked to stay away from school for 21 days after returning from a trip to Kenya, even though there have been no documented cases of Ebola in Kenya. Two students in NJ who are from Rwanda were asked to stay home from school for 21 days, despite the fact that there have been no documented cases of Ebola in Rwanda.

It’s understandable why this fear is spreading. Ebola is a scary disease. It has killed 70% of those infected in West Africa. I agree that it is important for the United States to be prepared to treat Ebola patients at home, and to be cautious about preventing the spread of infection. Yet it is also important to keep our fears in perspective. To date, there have been only a handful of confirmed diagnoses in the United States and only one death from Ebola, while there have been over 13,000 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Because these countries lack adequate facilities, supplies, and health care providers, it is very difficult to control the spread of the disease, and thousands of people have been infected.

As we address our concerns about Ebola, we must keep in mind our best defense is to help stop the spread of infection in West Africa. If the World Health Organizations can control the outbreak there, it will prevent new epidemics in other countries. I think we can do this by supporting organizations that send properly trained health care workers and supplies, promoting the growth of new clinics and facilities in the affected areas, and urging our own government to prioritize research that will help create a safe and effective Ebola vaccine.

To fight Ebola we must stay vigilant, cautious, and prepared, but we also must be compassionate and supportive of those living in highly infectious areas. Only when we solve the problem abroad will we feel safe at home.

– Anna