Q: How is Ebola spread?

    A: By direct contact with an Ebola patient’s blood or other bodily fluids like urine, saliva and sweat. Early symptoms are similar to other diseases like malaria and cholera.

    Someone can also get infected by handling soiled clothing or bed sheets without protection and then touching their nose, mouth or eyes. People can also catch the disease by eating infected bushmeat.

    Q: Can Ebola spread in the air, like flu or tuberculosis?

    A: There is no evidence Ebola can be spread in the air by sneezing or coughing.

    Ebola is in some ways similar to the AIDS virus because it is spread through bodily fluids. Unlike those infected with HIV, those with the Ebola virus are considered infectious only when they show symptoms, which include fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

    Q: Can the spread of Ebola be stopped?

    A: Yes, by isolating anyone with symptoms while testing is done, taking precautions while providing them medical care and tracking down anyone they were in close contact with when they got sick.

    Q: Do we need to be afraid of it?

    A: No, because Ebola doesn’t spread easily, the way a cold virus or the flu does. It is only spread by direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, sweat and urine. And health officials around the developed world know how to stop Ebola.

    (SD-Agencies)