In the last month, wall-to-wall coverage of Ebola has engulfed the news media. You could say it’s like that of an outbreak–the moment a large media outlet covers it, the rest are infected by it (in the news business, it’s called piggybacking).

From the moment the first New York City case of Ebola was reported, city officials have been on high alert. Rightfully so, though Mayor Bill de Blasio has continually pounded the drum saying “there is no reason for New Yorkers to be alarmed.” The patient, a doctor treating Ebola patients at the epicenter of the disease, West Africa, is currently being treated. This past week, a Soundview boy purported to have the disease turned out to be a false alarm. Panic itself can be quite contagious.

Despite this, the news has scared some emergency rooms believing it would deal with aswell of patients arriving, some driven by the hysteria. Others by legitimate concerns.

So the Norwood News is taking a more even-handed approach to Ebola, utilizing information from the Centers for Disease Control:

A person infected with Ebola can’t spread the disease until symptoms appear. The time from exposure to when signs or symptoms of the disease appear (the incubation period) is 2 to 21 days, but the average time is 8 to 10 days. Signsof Ebola include fever and symptoms like severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood and body fluids. Ebola is spread through direct contact (like urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola. Objects (like needles) that have been contaminated with the blood or body fluids of a person sick with Ebola. Ebola is not spread through the air, water, or food.

Protect Yourself Against Ebola

There is no FDA-approved vaccine available with Ebola. Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness.

To protect yourself from Ebola:

Do wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Do NOT touch the blood or body fluids (like urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat, and semen) of people who are sick.

Do NOT handle items that may have come in contact with a sick person’s blood or body fluids, like clothes, bedding, needles, or medical equipment.

Do NOT touch the body of someone who has died of Ebola.

What to do if you are exposed to Ebola

If you have traveled to an area with an Ebola outbreak or had close contact with a person sick with Ebola, you may be at risk if you had direct contact with blood or body fluids or items that came into contact with blood or body fluids from a person with Ebola. You can also get sick if you touched bats or nonhuman primates (like apes or monkeys) or blood, fluids, or raw meat prepared from these animals. You are at risk if you went into hospitals where Ebola patients were being treated and had close contact with the patients or touched the body of a person who died of Ebola.

You should check for signs and symptoms of Ebola for 21 days.

Take your temperature every morning and evening. Watch for other Ebola symptoms like severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

Call your doctor even if you do not have symptoms. The doctor can evaluate your exposure level and any symptoms and consult with public health authorities to determine if actions are needed.

During the time that you are watching for signs and symptoms, you can continue your normal activities, including going to work.

If you get sick after you come back from an area with an Ebola outbreak:

Get medical care RIGHT AWAY if you have a fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

Tell your doctor about your recent ravel to West Africa or contact with a person who was sick with Ebola and symptoms BEFORE you go to the doctor’s office or emergency room. Calling before you go to the doctor’s office or emergency room with help the staff care for you and protect other people.