Well, it’s not a big deal to you, because you are not now, nor have you ever been in Africa (probably). You are also not a doctor, involved in any sort of healthcare organization, you are not a government official, so you don’t need to worry about Ebola. Why? Well let me back up a bit.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, or as it is called now, Ebola Virus Disease. That’s the official name. It sounds redundant, but it’s offical. The outbreak has started in West Africa. West Africa. West Africa. West Africa. West Africa. WEST AFRICA. Raise your hand if you’ve ever been to West Africa. I’m guessing that very few, if any, of you are raising your hands. There’s only one case the United States which was not quarantined as soon as the patient arrived. The incubation period for the virus is ten days, and this man was brought to the hospital nine days ago. We’re almost over the hump as far as people who could’ve gotten it go. Since we live in New York, probably no one is gonna get it (yet).

So why else shouldn’t we be concerned? Well, it doesn’t travel through the air. It only travels through bodily fluids and feces. Fluids like blood, sweat, semen, vomit, and other such things. It also doesn’t get absorbed through the skin. It has to go through your nose, mouth, eyes, ears, bathing suit areas, or open wounds. So, if you wash your hands and cover up your wounds, you should be fine. We also have to consider why this is such an epidemic in Africa. African countries don’t have the sanitation we have. I have actually been to a country in west Africa, and can tell you that it’s not the cleanest place in the world. There is feces everywhere. There’s also a lot more work with animals there, which is where Ebola spread to humans from.

So, if you wash your hands, follow basic health and safety recommendations, don’t pick your nose, and cover up wounds, you should be fine. Now for a joke about Ebola.

“I started an online bowling league, yesterday. That’s right, I’m an Ebola now.”

Now you might think that is a sickening joke, that it is a plague across the face of EMC, but just wait, that joke is gonna go viral. Yes, I realize those puns were tasteless, I’ll just show myself out.