What Long Islanders should know about the Ebola outbreak

Ebola, the rare but deadly disease currently spreading through several war-ravaged sections of central and east Africa, has killed at least 220 people since an outbreak was declared on May 15 and infected another 1,000, though that's likely an undercount, according to the World Health Organization. For the current strain, there are no licensed vaccines or treatments.

Starting Friday, Kennedy Airport will become the third U.S. airport to handle passengers flying from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan or Uganda, which are all affected by the outbreak.

Here's what Long Islanders need to know:

What is Ebola?

The disease is caused by orthoebolaviruses, a group of viruses discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976. Numerous outbreaks have been recorded since then with the largest and most severe being the 2014-16 outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone where more than 11,000 people died. 

The current outbreak is being fueled by the Bundibugyo virus, one of four that cause disease in humans.

Symptoms start with fever, aches, pains and fatigue and can develop into diarrhea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding.

"Ebola is a horrible infection" with a very high mortality rate, said Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health.

Trying to contain the outbreak in a conflict zone, without enough supplies and much of the population believing the disease is a hoax, is a great challenge, Farber said.

"It may be awhile before they get this epidemic under control," he said.

How does it spread?

Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood or body fluids from someone sick with Ebola or who recently died from Ebola.

Should people on Long Island be worried?

"There’s really no risk to people living on Long Island and in the New York area at the present time," Farber said.

Ebola has not been detected in the United States since 2014, when nine people who contracted it in other countries returned. Two of those people died and two nurses who treated the patients contracted the disease. They both recovered.

Long Islanders and New Yorkers should use the opportunity to learn about Ebola, what it is, how it is transmitted and how Ebola outbreaks can be controlled, Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, told Newsday in an email.

"The outbreak shows the importance of global collaborations, working across borders, investing in strengthening health systems around the world and appreciating that we are a supremely interconnected world," she said.

How is Ebola different from COVID-19?

"Ebola is quite different from the virus that causes COVID-19," El-Sadr said. "For example, while the COVID virus was easily transmitted through casual contact by people who may not even show symptoms of COVID-19, Ebola is only transmitted by direct contact with blood or body fluids from someone who is sick with Ebola or has recently died with Ebola."

What travel restrictions are there?

"At this point in time, there are restrictions to travel to certain countries where Ebola cases have been reported or are at risk for being affected and restrictions that apply to people arriving from those countries," El-Sadr said. These include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. "Otherwise, there is no risk associated with travel by air or by being at airports." 

Should people travel to other parts of Africa?

"If you're going to South Africa or Namibia or even Tanzania, I would go at this point in time," Farber said. "Could this epidemic spread to those countries? I doubt it, but it's theoretically possible."

He noted that the distance between the affected countries and other destinations in Africa is vast.

"I wouldn’t cancel my plans yet," Farber said.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.