Title: The Ebola virus: How is it contracted? What are the symptoms? How is it treated? - New York Daily News
Headings: The Ebola virus: How is it contracted? What are the symptoms? How is it treated?
The Ebola virus: How is it contracted? What are the symptoms? How is it treated?
HOW DO YOU GET IT?
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
HOW LONG BEFORE SYMPTOMS SHOW?
WHAT DISEASES SHOULD BE RULED OUT FIRST?
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF?
HOW IS IT TREATED?
WHERE ARE THE OUTBREAKS?
HOW ARE U.S. OFFICIALS HANDLING THE VIRUS' POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION FROM OVERSEAS?

Content: Anywhere from 2 to 21 days, though 8 to 10 days is most common
WHAT DISEASES SHOULD BE RULED OUT FIRST? Malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF? Avoid direct contact with bodily fluids, someone suffering from Ebola or already deceased from it
Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when in risk of such contact
Wear gloves, a mask, and a long-protective gown if coming within a meter of an infected patient
Anyone suspected of contracting the virus should be isolated and public health professionals notified
HOW IS IT TREATED? Balancing the patient's fluids and electrolytes
Maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure
Treating them for any complicating infections
There is no licensed vaccine available though several are being tested
WHERE ARE THE OUTBREAKS? Primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests
In Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone there have been 1,440 suspect and confirmed cases and 826 deaths as of July 30
HOW ARE U.S. OFFICIALS HANDLING THE VIRUS' POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION FROM OVERSEAS? Border patrol agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Dulles Airport in Washington have been instructed to question incoming travelers about possible exposure to the virus and look for its symptoms
Sources: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The World Health Organization and News Wire Services
ngolgowski@nydailynews.com
Gloves and boots used by medical staff are seen drying in the sun at a center for Ebola victims in Guekedou, Guinea. Gloves, masks and protective gowns are essential in preventing it from spreading. ( SEYLLOU/AFP/Getty Images)
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