Vomiting. Diarrhea. Rash. Impaired kidney function, impaired liver function, internal and external bleeding — this is what the World Health Organization describes as the effects of the Ebola virus.
What sounds like a fatal disease out of the latest horror film is actually a very real threat to the inhabitants of Central and West Africa and potentially the rest of the world.
Ebola isn’t a new threat to humans, as there have been outbreaks in the past. But the fact is, the 2014 outbreak is one of the largest outbreaks in history, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Whether or not Ebola is truly a threat to the United States has been a hot-button issue across national media over the past few months.
Is Ebola a real threat to the United States? I think so.
Is Ebola a direct threat to Phoenix? That’s where things get interesting.
When thinking about the transmission of infectious diseases such as Ebola, oftentimes densely populated cities come to mind — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami are a few examples.
When you live in a densely populated city, transportation is probably one of the biggest factors that has to be taken into account. Often, public transit is the most efficient option — but is it the healthiest?
Many residents of downtown Phoenix rely on the light rail as their means of transportation and, therefore, need to consider such scenarios.
Thankfully, Ebola is transmitted only through bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, semen, saliva, feces and vomit; it’s not airborne. This reduces the chances of the general public’s ability to transmit the disease via public transportation such as the light rail, but it also raises other interesting concerns.
While it may seem far-fetched, if there were an outbreak of Ebola in Phoenix, the light rail would likely be a public-health risk due to the high volume of people that ride it. You’re likely not going to find feces, semen or urine on the light rail — though we aren’t ruling anything out — but saliva, blood and vomit may be more common.
While passengers can more easily avoid making contact with these fluids, the cleaning crew would be in direct contact with the fluids when they clean up whatever mess is there. These workers would be in the direct line of fire in terms of getting infected.
One point Charlene Burgett, administrator at North Scottsdale Family Medicine, brought up is that the symptoms of Ebola are flu-like. That means if someone were to walk into a clinic with Ebola, health-care workers would most likely think they have the flu and wouldn’t be taking as many precautions, such as wearing masks and other protective gear.
Burgett went on to say that overall, there is a very low risk of anyone in Phoenix being exposed to the Ebola virus simply because of the lack of exposure to people who have it. She did say, however, that if there was an outbreak, health-care workers would be at a huge risk because of the direct contact they would be making with infected patients.
I also talked to Lina Muhammad, a translator and patient coordinator who works with Phoenix refugees at Phoenix Family Medical Clinic.
Muhammad said that Ebola has the potential to be a great risk for refugees because they ride the light rail more often, as they don’t have cars and the organizations that assist them tend to be in the Phoenix area.
If these individuals do have flu-like symptoms, it is likely that nobody expects them to have Ebola. That’s why this issue is very real. All it takes is a single infected person to cause a domino effect that results in an epidemic.
Being in downtown Phoenix definitely has its perks, such as getting to appreciate the culture affiliated with the arts district, getting to experience great eats, and being a hop, skip and jump away from major sports venues and entertainment.
But if there were to be an outbreak of an epidemic such as Ebola, it’s safe to say that downtown Phoenix would be an area to be concerned about because of the interactions on the light rail and other intersections where lots of people from all walks of life cross paths.
There are ways to avoid communicable diseases on the light rail, which, though Ebola is thankfully not an immediate concern, can help you stay away from other transmissible illnesses. The light rail is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria since many hands touch lots of surfaces. When riding the light rail, you’re literally a cough, sneeze or touch away from somebody else’s germs. Make sure you stay hydrated, get that daily intake of Vitamin C and use hand sanitizer regularly.
Be cognizant of your surroundings and stay healthy, my friends!
Contact the columnist at wshahid@asu.edu
