Currently in America, two diseases have been taking over the news, and the lives of many people, lately. These diseases are Ebola and the Enterovirus. If you are anyone like me, you try to figure out a way to make sure these illnesses came no where near you, but do you really know what we are running from? They might have blown up in the news, but there is a lot that we need to bring to light about these epidemics in order to fully understand what they are, and which one is the bigger problem.

The definition of Ebola is “an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by a filovirus ( Ebola virus ), whose normal host species is unknown”. I am positive you don’t understand this, so let me break it down for you by giving you the facts. Lets start at the very beginning. The Ebola virus was first found in 1976 on the banks of the Ebola River and was suspected to have originated in bats. Smaller outbreaks have occurred over the years, but this is the largest yet. Reasons its so deadly is because it shuts down the immune system first, and can kill within a single week. With only a 50% survival rate, it makes sense why people would be so scared. But think about this. When was the last time you came in contact with someones bodily fluids? If your answer is never, then you’re in luck because you can only catch this virus by touching these things. Also, if you are a US reader, your chances of catching this are extremely low, so take a breather. Even the flu kills more than Ebola. Just be careful around those bodily fluids, okay?

The enterovirus however, is a different story. The definition of the enterovirus is “any of a group of RNA viruses (including those causing polio and hepatitis A) that typically occur in the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes spreading to the central nervous system or other parts of the body”. Kinda confusing? Let me explain. This virus was first identified in California in 1962, and hasn’t reappeared until now, meaning less people have developed an immunity to it. In the most mild cases, symptoms mimic those of the common cold including fever, runny nose, muscle aches etc. More serious cases can cause patients to have difficulty breathing and would lead to the patient having to be hospitalized. Some cases have also shown paralysis, but that is not very common. Scared yet? Its about to get worse. This disease not only has the symptoms of the common cold, but spreads like one. That’s right. Getting sneezed or coughed on, or by touching the surface previously touched by an infected patient can all cause a person to catch the virus. Because of this, the majority of hospitalizations have been with children. Nevertheless, teenagers are also at an inclined risk because of weak immune systems. However, as bad as it may seem, the Enterovirus season lasts from mid-May through mid-November, so its havoc has almost come to a close. Just make sure to keep clean, and prep for flu season.

In my opinion, I am more scared of the Enterovirus. This is because the symptoms are much like the common cold, so I feel if I caught this virus, I would probably think I just have a regular cold before I realized much too late that I actually have an extremely deadly disease. Also, because it is spread like a common cold, it seems extremely easy to catch. Plus, because I am a teenager and my immune system is weak, I have an increased risk of having a serious case. Lastly, unlike Ebola, the Enterovirus has made it into the state in which I live. Don’t get me wrong, the Ebola virus is a scary thing to think about, but overall, I think that based on the data I found that the Enterovirus is one I am most afraid of.

~Dagny