By Annette Pinder 

At this time, health officials say the immediate risk of Ebola spreading in the United States remains low. Ebola is not spread through casual contact or the air, as with COVID-19 or influenza. Instead, it spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who is actively sick.  

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) says people everywhere should still pay attention to the outbreak because infectious diseases can spread internationally very quickly in today’s interconnected world. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine or targeted treatment. Cases have already appeared in major cities, including Kampala and Goma, heightening concerns about international spread through travel and migration. WHO health experts have now declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — the highest level of international alert short of a pandemic.  

For Western New York residents, the concern is less about an immediate local outbreak and more about the need for strong global public health systems. A recent Washington Post article emphasizes that diseases emerging anywhere can eventually affect people everywhere through travel, trade, or overwhelmed healthcare systems. Public health experts stress that containing outbreaks early in other countries protects everyone globally.  

Federal agencies, including the CDC, are already expanding airport screening, traveler monitoring, hospital preparedness, and contact tracing in the United States. While the risk to the general U.S. public remains low, officials are continuing to monitor the situation closely. The outbreak is also a reminder that global health funding, disease surveillance, vaccine research, and rapid response systems remain critically important for protecting communities everywhere — including Western New York.
 
Visit https://www.cdc.gov/ebola/situation-summary/index.html for more information.