Why You Should & Shouldn't Fear Ebola

To put the Ebola threat in perspective, here are some reasons to be concerned about the outbreak, and reasons not to fear it...

There is no cure for Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

More than half of people infected in this outbreak have died. Death rates in some past outbreaks reached 90 per cent.

It's a cruel end that comes within days. Patients grow feverish and weak, suffering through body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding, sometimes bleeding from the nose and ears.

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The damage can spiral far beyond the patients themselves.

Because it's spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick patients, Ebola takes an especially harsh toll on doctors and nurses, already in short supply in areas of Africa hit by the disease.

Ebola is devastating for those it affects. But most people don't need to fear it. 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.

Family members have contracted it by caring for their relatives or handling an infected body as part of burial practices.

People aren't contagious until they show symptoms.

Symptoms may not appear until 21 days after exposure.