{"id":6777,"date":"2014-10-20T12:45:17","date_gmt":"2014-10-20T16:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsignblog.com\/blog\/?p=6777"},"modified":"2025-02-21T04:59:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T09:59:07","slug":"dont-panic-ebola-public-transit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/dont-panic-ebola-public-transit\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t panic about ebola and public transit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panic over Ebola seems to be spreading faster than the virus itself is, with mass hypochondria reports now making the news. But how dangerous is the virus, and is it even possible to catch it on public transportation? As Yahoo reports<\/a>, Ebola can’t be passed through casual contact, and, although its symptoms can be flu-like, it is not an airborne illness.<\/p>\n

\"Subway<\/a>

Don’t panic about ebola on public transportation. There are more dangerous and widespread diseases out there. Image from Evan Blaser<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cEven though there\u2019s been a lot of news in the last 48 hours, the virus itself has not changed,\u201d Dr. Eden Wells, a clinical associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health told Yahoo. \u201cIt still requires that you have close contact with body fluids of a person with Ebola.\u201d Even direct contact with bodily fluids does not mean, thankfully, that everyone who has made contact will be affected. (Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan’s family, for example, took care of him before he was diagnosed and have thus far shown no symptoms even now, towards the end of their necessitated 21-day quarantine.)<\/p>\n

Yet Ebola patients are<\/em> being told to avoid public transportation as a matter of course. \u201cI think it\u2019s really an abundance of caution more than it is a true need \u2014 we really don\u2019t think that simply sitting on the same airplane would result in transmission,\u201d Dr. Art Reingold, head of epidemiology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health told Yahoo. \u201cBut this is such a deadly virus, and there is so much public and political concern that I think people are going to err on the side of caution, rather than be perceived as under-responding.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, what do you need to know about Ebola prevention and public transportation? We\u2019ve collected a few guidelines. (If you work in an environment where you may be exposed to the virus, or if you have any other questions, be sure to consult your doctor directly, and learn more about the virus on the CDC\u2019s site<\/a>. Travelers can also learn more on the CDC\u2019s dedicated traveler information section<\/a>.)<\/p>\n