With all of the information, misinformation and, yes, hysteria about Ebola these days, you may be wondering which websites you can trust for factual information about Ebola. Here are a few online sites that are likely to be more reliable than most, some of which include an Ebola FAQ.
*Hysteria is defined as “exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement,” – we in no way mean to downplay the severity of the disease, just to highlight the occasional severity of the reaction.
The purpose of this article is to help provide pointers to information that is presented calmly and rationally.
Here then are some sites that deal with the factual information about Ebola in a relatively straightforward and dispassionate manner:
The World Health Organization Fact Sheet on Ebola
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As the World Health Organization (WHO) points out, Ebola can be (and was) transmitted from animals to humans. The transmission of a disease from an animal to a human is known as zoonosis, and such a disease (sucha as Ebola) is said to be zoonotic.
World Health Organization fact sheet on Ebola
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Explanation of Ebola
The Mayo Clinic, as you might expect, has a very comprehensive section on its website covering the Ebola virus.
Sections include a definition of Ebola, the symptoms of Ebola, causes of Ebola, risk factors for Ebola, tests for and diagnosis of Ebola, complications from Ebola, and treatment and drugs for Ebola.
There’s even a section on preparing for your Ebola-related appointment.
Mayo clinic comprehensive explanation of Ebola
State of Connecticut Ebola Website
At the point at which nine Connecticut residents were being quarantied following possible Ebola exposure, the state of Connecticut launched its own website about Ebola.
The site features a graphic that supports the information on the front page, which exhorts that Ebola is transmitted by “touching the blood or bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died of Ebola; touching contaminated objects, like needles; or touching infected animals, their blood or other bodily fluids, or their meat,” and that you can not get Ebola through the air, through water, or through food.
State of Connecticut Ebola website
California Riverside County Ebola Site
Riverside, California is one of the latest public government entities to put up an Ebola site. As they explain on the site, “With all the news about Ebola coming from Dallas and West Africa, it is understandable there is much anxiety within the community and Riverside County residents are searching for answers. We, too, at the Department of Public Health have been concerned and have been working for months to be prepared if in the unlikely event a suspected Ebola case is reported in Riverside County. We have established this webpage to provide you with the latest information about our preparedness activities as well as the most up-to-date information about the illness and related issues from reputable sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
The site includes an Ebola FAQ, information from the CDC, and information from the California public health department.
County of Riverside Ebola site
Wikipedia Ebola Page
Finally, we are generally reluctant to cite Wikipedia as an authoritative source. However, in an article in the New York Times, Wikipedia Emerges as Trusted Internet Source for Ebola Information, the Times points out that the Wikipedia page on Ebola is monitored and edited by doctors who participate in Wikiproject Medicine, and that it has become a trusted source.
If you find additional reliable, factual sources for information about Ebola, please let us know in our comments section.
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Thank you, Mark!
Hi, Anne,
Here are a few good sites that have solid Ebola information.
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html
Some are hard science/medicine articles, but some are human interest, editorials, perspectives, etc.