How to Stay Safe From Ebola

Now that Ebola has been confirmed in the United States, it was bound to cause questions and chaos. What is it? How did it get here? How can I prevent my kids and myself from getting it? Although Ebola is very serious, here are a few things you should know and how to keep yourself safe from it.

Ebola is a virus. You probably already knew that. It causes internal and external bleeding and leads to shutting down your immune system and, eventually, death in most cases. Although the fatality rate seems high, here are a few preventative measures you can take:

Wash Your Hands

Ebola isn't an airborne illness and is harder to get than, say, the common cold. So many diseases can be prevented by simply washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizer works great, too.

Don't Exchange Bodily Fluids
Even if it's your soulmate, no kissing or anything else that would be an exchange of bodily fluids. Also, no sharing needles. Ebola or not, you shouldn't share needles anyway. That's just wrong.

So far, that's really about it. If you encounter people who have -- or even think they have -- Ebola, stay away from them.