Will public alarm over a deadly disease impact the upcoming holidays? Americans are becoming wary of travel, a survey finds. But even an infectious disease specialist hopes this isn’t the case.
“Ebola shouldn’t be the reason people aren’t seeing their family for Thanksgiving,” says Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at the Mayo Clinic.
He understands the alarm.
“Ebola is an agent that evokes a lot of fear, and can result in societal disruption. There’s a reason why it’s considered a possible bioterrorism agent. So any time you have any cases in the United States, there is a heightened amount of anxiety,” he adds.
And the anxiety is growing, says a new Harris Poll/HealthDay survey, which reveals that a quarter of Americans plans to cut back family their business travel plans because of their Ebola fear. And though more worry about getting the flu than contracting Ebola, 57 percent have concerns about family members who travel frequently.
Three fourths of the respondents also fear that people carrying Ebola will infect others before showing symptoms themselves.
“But that simply can’t happen, according to both Dr. Tosh and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the poll states. “Ebola can only be transmitted by people who have fallen ill and are already showing symptoms - and even then only if a healthy person comes into contact with the body fluids of a sick person.”
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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