According to some of the top infectious disease physicians in the country, there are far more serious threats to public health in the United States than the Ebola virus. In fact, this panel of experts expressed far more critical concern over conditions such as influenza and enterovirus D68. The group included noted physician, Dr. Bruce Ribner, who was part of the Emory University Hospital team that treated Ebola-infected American missionaries Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol.
This announcement was made during the annual gathering for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, or IDSA, that was recently held in Philadelphia that was attended by various public health professionals and infectious disease caregivers across the country. This year, the press conference was organized strategically to tackle the global issue of Ebola, the highly lethal virus that has now claimed over 4,000 lives in West Africa and has already made its presence known in other parts of the world such as Europe and in the United States. Another topic that was discussed during the convention was the rising number of children being affected by the respiratory disease cause by enterovirus D68, as well as what is shaping up to be a widespread case of influenza.
Out of these three infectious diseases, Health experts say that influenza is killing 3,000 to 49,000 Americans annually, which is a troubling statistic mainly because this disease is highly preventable. Because of this, the public is urged to take full advantage of flu vaccines that are being made available to them at the moment. Despite the fact that the vaccine is admittedly not 100% effective for some people, it will help reduce the severity of the disease significantly.
A good part of the discussion also revolved around enterovirus D68 that is responsible for causing severe respiratory illness in children around country. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the virus is active in 45 states and that five children have already succumbed to this illness.
