It seems as though every few years, an outbreak of a deadly disease disrupts the flow of regular occurrences briefly. These disruptions last a few months and then go away fairly quickly due to the nature of the virus and medical technology that the world has at its disposal. Recently, however, there has been an extremely serious, dangerous, and frightening outbreak. Ebola has struck West Africa once again, and this time it is worse than ever. Ebola is a deadly virus that is transferred through bodily fluids. Thousands of Africans are contracting this disease, and just recently it has come over to the United States. The good thing about Ebola is that currently, it is not airborne and not contagious until there are symptoms. However, the bad news is that there is a 50% survival rate once you contract the Ebola virus. In the beginning of October, a man unknowingly flew from West Africa into Dallas, Texas with the virus, and he was hospitalized. Patient number one in America, or the famous “Texas Man” died just days later on October eighth. The disease was unbearably painful, and 41 year old Thomas Eric Duncan could barely talk on the phone because of his lack of energy while hospitalized. Also, one of the nurses that treated the Texas Man, who took all necessary precautions, began showing symptoms of the virus just after Thomas Eric Duncan passed. During this, a cameraman for CNN contracted the virus and was flown home to the US for treatment. The frightening factor is this: Ebola is mutating fast. Mutations are “permanent changes in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. In an isolated study in Sierra-Leone, Ebola had over 300 mutated genes in just three weeks. This results in a greater chance of a “stronger” more adapted version of Ebola to exist. This being said, the Ebola virus has had a history of being airborne. What most people don’t know is that Ebola is not a completely new virus. In 1989, an isolated outbreak of Ebola showed that the virus was transferred from monkey to monkey just by breathing. If this new strain of Ebola begins to develop unique and more contagious traits, there can and will be a global epidemic. The horrifying photos of infected patients in Africa being carried by men in hazmat suits and contained within a plastic tube are sickening, to say the least.

October 24th, 2014. “Doctor in New York Is Sick With Ebola.” The headline seen across the world, shocking millions, and frightening even more. The infected doctor, Craig Spencer, was inspiring others to help patients in West Africa by helping treat patients himself. Contracting the virus himself, Spencer had become a warning for any doctors considering helping out in West Africa. Everyone is currently wondering if this is a foreshadow for later things to come. Recent studies are showing that if the Ebola virus is not seriously dealt with in Africa by the middle of December, the world may have an epidemic just as large as HIV on its hands. By January, there will be an estimated amount of patients with Ebola of 1.4 million. The amount of humans that contract the Ebola virus every three weeks doubles, and the amount of gene mutations is close to 300. Combined with all of these factors, Ebola is clearly not a small problem.

Ebola is evolving, not just genetically but socially. Millions are talking about this crippling disease, and what can or will happen if we don’t do something to contain it. At this point, it is impossible to tell where Ebola can go from its current resting state. This is extremely frightening and concerning for everyone worldwide, and the only thing to do now is wait and see where this virus will lead us.