Ebola: What you need to know

From the White House, see below for an important counter to the hysteria, misinformation, and general idiocy out there about Ebola right now. For an example of said hysteria, misinformation and idiocy, check out Rep. Morgan Griffith, who consistently demonstrates no ability whatsoever to accurately assess risk or science (e.g., denying the oerwhelming evidence of anthropogenic climate change- a serious, possibly exisential, threat to life on our planet – while freaking out about a disease that's not easily transmittable and which has infected just a few Americans.  Of course, he's a right wingnut, so what else would we expect, but sadly, I've seen some of this hysteria among liberals, including people I usually respect. Sigh… 

Ebola: What you need to know

At a time when Ebola is all over the news and it's easy for misinformation to get interpreted as truth, make sure you have the clear-cut facts.

Here's what our public health officials are saying about the Ebola virus — get informed, and share this information where everyone can see it.

1. You CAN'T get Ebola through:

• Casual contact with someone who has no symptoms of the disease
• Air
• Water
• Food in the U.S.

2. The only way a person can get Ebola is through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is already showing symptoms of the disease.

3. If a person does not have symptoms, they are not contagious.

As President Obama, leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other senior officials have reiterated, the chances of a widespread Ebola outbreak here in the United States are extremely low.

Still, you don’t want to be misinformed about Ebola. Find out more about how we're responding to the disease, and the domestic and international efforts to contain and end the epidemic.

You can visit the CDC for more information on our response to Ebola and call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) for additional inquiries.