What do you think is going to impact Americans more? Ebola or the flu? According to timesunion.com more than 226,000 Americans are hospitalized with the flu and approximately 36,000 die from flu related complications every year.

The first known case of Ebola was in 1976. Since then 30 Ebola outbreaks have occurred. The thing people need to realize is that not everyone who is affected dies. The path of Ebola through a human being takes 12 days if not treated then death. Some symptoms that occur within the first nine days are headache, fatigue, fever, and muscle soreness.

B-A science teacher Mrs. Alice Flarend said Americans need not worry about an epidemic like outbreak.

Mrs. Flarend, who is a nationally certified science teacher, said, “I do not think there is a concern for Ebola in the U.S. because if you look at the statistics 20,000 to 50,000 people die annually from the flu and only 6,870 deaths from Ebola. Also, Ebola kills people quick enough so it doesn’t really spread.”

On September 30, 2014, the first case of Ebola is the U.S. was found. Thomas Eric Duncan was isolated in intensive care once his symptoms were recognized at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas.

Since then people fear the world will end because everyone will get Ebola and die. However, what most people do not know is that the only way to become infected with Ebola is to come in contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

“The assumption of my risk from disease X is influenced by how common it is,” Dr. Edward Waltz, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University at Albany, told Katelynn Ulrich from timesunion.com. “You get flu messages pouring out of the television, telling you to get your immunization and it sort of desensitizes you. We are far more prone to fear the unknown than what we hear about every day. Objectively, the flu is a lot worse. The reason for concern is there is no magic bullet to stop Ebola.”

With the flu, if an infected person breathes or coughs on you, you become infected too; it’s easier to contract.

“I think the most important message to get is, take action on the things that you can control,” said Waltz. “We have so many things that affect our health that we can’t control, get yourself a vaccination if it is available.”