Stop worrying about Ebola: Protect yourself from contagious viruses you may actually encounter

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

(CNN) — Another alarming episode of Ebola. A rare, contagious hantavirus. Glaring headlines about deadly viruses in far-flung places may be needlessly frightening you.

“The headlines are scary, but honestly, the risk to the average traveler from these viruses is essentially nonexistent,” said Dr. Thomas Moore, clinical professor of medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita.

Yet people are always concerned about the viral “germ du jour,” said Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and clinical professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

“A virus is intangible: You can’t see it, can’t feel it until you are sick, so it’s a real concern for many people. I call it the invisible enemy,” Nahass said. “And what makes it worse is our collective PTSD about Covid, so we immediately jump to worrying about the next pandemic.”

Fear over one virus should not translate to worry about another, because each virus has its own “personality,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases, health policy and prevention at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Think of all your cousins. They may all have the same last name, but each one is distinctive and individual,” Schaffner said. “Covid may have spread worldwide, but Ebola is much different.”

Why you shouldn’t worry about an Ebola pandemic

To be infected with Ebola requires direct contact with skin, blood or bodily fluids such as feces and vomit. In Africa, Ebola is often spread due to local burial customs: Mourners wash, touch and kiss the still-infectious body as a final farewell.

“In addition, family members care for sick loved ones in their homes as they get progressively ill, and that’s where the transmission occurs to the caregivers,” Schaffner said.

Still, many people worry that they may be exposed to Ebola by traveling on a plane with someone from Central or East Africa, where the current outbreak is based, he said.

“A person on an airplane infected with Ebola who is perfectly healthy and has no symptoms is of no risk to anybody else on that airplane,” Schaffner said.

“Remember, it’s only when the infected person becomes seriously sick that they become hazardous to others. This is a very difficult concept for people to grasp.”

Why you shouldn’t worry about a hantavirus pandemic

Most strains of hantavirus in North America are not transmittable from person to person. Infection occurs when people inhale particles from the urine, feces or saliva of infected mice and rats. Cases of common hantavirus are rare: Only 890 were reported in the United States over a 30-year period ending in 2023, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A rare strain of hantavirus called Andes is the only type of hantavirus to have limited human-to-human transmission. Found in Argentina and Chile, the Andes strain was responsible for the recent hantavirus outbreak that killed three people who had been aboard the Dutch luxury cruise ship MV Hondius. It’s likely that some of those individuals were exposed to Andes before they joined the cruise, authorities say.

To spread, the Andes hantavirus needs “direct physical contact, prolonged time spent in close or enclosed spaces, and exposure to the sick person’s body fluids,” the CDC states on its website.

“I like to remind people that this was a cruise ship, so people are, so to speak, cheek-by-jowl,” Schaffner said. “They interacted with each other constantly and with the crew, and yet so far, there has been only a small number of infections. So although Andes is a contagious virus, it may not be very contagious.”

What viruses should you be concerned about?

The World Cup is coming to the US, Mexico and Canada in June, bringing millions of soccer fans to scream germs into the air of overly crowded stadiums.

In the medical world, that’s the perfect scenario for a “mass contamination event.” So which contagious viral diseases are most concerning to World Cup health officials in charge of protecting the public?

The same viruses that experts say you should worry about at home, work and school:

• Respiratory viruses that cause colds, flu, Covid-19, and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV
• Common intestinal viruses such as norovirus and rotavirus
• Sexually transmitted viral diseases, such as herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV)
• So-called childhood viruses: measles, mumps and rubella, often known as “German” measles, as well as chicken pox and polio

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in existence and is easily contained by a simple vaccine. However, vaccination rates for measles and other common viruses are falling fast in the US, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and parts of Europe.

“Most concerning right now to those of us in infectious disease is measles, with pockets of the US undervaccinated,” Nahass said. “An unvaccinated person at the World Cup could carry measles back to a community that’s undervaccinated, and it sets off the fire.”

Flu and Covid vaccination rates in children are also falling, with deadly results, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of microbiology and immunology in the division of infectious diseases at University of California, San Francisco.

“Mortality for kids and influenza hit an all-time high last year,” Chin-Hong said. “If you look at pre-2019 numbers to now, the decline in pediatric vaccination rates for influenza is around 60%.”

What’s the best way to protect yourself from viruses?

As Ben Franklin said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Focus your efforts in these main areas, experts told CNN.

Practice regular handwashing. “Washing your hands with plain soap and water is your best protection, not only from viruses but from bacterial and other infections,” Schaffner said.

Try to use a sanitizer in places where others may have left their germs, Nahass adds. “Wipe the handle on a grocery cart before you use it, and try not to touch your face and nose until you can wash your hands. Touching our face is a key way these viruses are transmitted.”

Get vaccinated. There are excellent vaccines for many of the most contagious viral diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, shingles, polio, RSV, HPV, herpes, rotavirus, influenza and Covid-19.

“Your best chance of protecting yourself is, of course, to get all needed vaccines and stay up to date on those vaccines,” Moore said.

Have a stash of N-95 masks. “When viruses are active, get out your mask and put it on,” Schaffner said. “This is particularly important to people at high risk of a serious infection: small children, pregnant people, and those age 65 and older and anyone who is immunocompromised.

“It also applies to people with heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions,” he said. “It’s much easier for people with an underlying condition to have a more serious case of influenza or Covid that could put them into the hospital.”

Watch what you eat. Traveling to certain countries may expose you to diarrheal diseases, Moore said. “Be extra cautious about what you eat and drink overseas,” he said. “We always tell people: Cook it, peel it, boil it or forget it.”

Avoid crowds when viruses are spreading. As with the World Cup, going to a local sports event or concert held indoors can expose you to viruses, especially during winter months when many respiratory viruses are at their peak, Schaffner said.

“I’m afraid this pertains to religious services as well, especially if you are high-risk,” he said. “Maybe you could be reverent at home. It all depends on how risk-averse you are.”

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