Ebola Fears Are Triggering Mass Hypochondria
Yes, Ebola is here. The news of the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed on U.S. soil is unsettling, no matter how many times health officials calmly implore us not to panic, followed by a reminder that the virus is unlikely to spread widely beyond this one case in Dallas, Texas (that patient died today). But Ebola anxiety, on the other hand, is so far proving to be a highly contagious thing.
On Monday, Texas Health Commissioner Dr. David Lakey told reporters that stress and panic were likely to cause more damage to the community than the fearsome virus itself. In Dallas, some parents are keeping their children home from school, the Dallas Morning News reported, and some nonprofits told the newspaper that some of their volunteers are refusing to enter the neighborhood where the patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, first showed symptoms.
At the national level, a survey back in August by the Harvard School of Public Health found that nearly 40 percent of Americans are “concerned” that there will be a full-fledged outbreak, à la Outbreak, of Ebola within the next year. It’s not altogether surprising, considering some of the near-hysterical television coverage. On Meet the Press this past weekend, Joe Scarborough made his case for mass Ebola panic, saying, “If you think the Atlantic Ocean is going to stop it from coming over here, you’re kidding yourself.” And on a recent Fox & Friends, Elisabeth Hasselbeck demanded to know why she should worry more about flu than Ebola, countering infectious-disease specialist Dr. Dalilah Restrepo’s calm but thorough answer with a simple “But it’s here.”
More at:
https://www.yahoo.com/health/ebola-fears-are-triggering-mass-hypochondria-99496948183.html
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