I don’t want to sound like Chicken Little running around crying that the sky is falling, but I think every prepper should put Ebola on their watch list. Right now, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), there are 360 reported deaths and almost 1300 cases. There have also been a couple of deaths and a score of cases in Uganda, most of which are thought to have originated in the DRC.
This makes it the third-largest Ebola outbreak and one of the fastest-growing. In fact, it may be worse than these numbers show because many victims don’t seek treatment or get reported to authorities.
Am I worried about Ebola reaching the U.S. and infecting millions of people? Not yet, but I’m keeping it on my radar, just in case. Because while the risk is low, it is not non-existent.
And isn’t that what prepping is all about? Anticipating and preparing for problems before they manifest so that we have a head start over the mass of Americans who are oblivious to anything that doesn’t show up on their TikTok feed?
How an Outbreak Reaches the U.S.
Regarding Ebola reaching the U.S., let me make three points:
- Previous cases have reached the U.S. In 2014, American medical workers who had contracted Ebola were flown to the U.S. under secure conditions for treatment. Later that year, two commercial airline passengers came to the U.S. and fell ill from Ebola. Two intensive care nurses in Dallas who treated one of those patients were infected.
- The CDC is sufficiently worried about the virus being brought into the United States via air travel that it has implemented airport screening measures for passengers who have been in the affected areas. Foreign nationals who have been to the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan in the past 21 days have been blocked from entry into the U.S. U.S. citizens and residents traveling to these areas are allowed in, but are subject to the medical screening. Ideally, they would be subject to quarantine.
- Earlier this year, cruise ship passengers who were exposed to the Hantavirus were isolated in Nebraska until the infection period passed. While the Hantavirus and Ebola are not alike and spread through different mechanisms, my point is that diseases can reach the U.S. via different vectors.
Urban Decay and Biological Threats
Unlike the flu, Ebola is not an airborne disease. That means it is more difficult to spread than a cold or common virus. To be infected, you must come in contact with the blood or bodily fluids/secretions of an infected or dead individual. But if you do, especially in the late stage of infection, you are likely to get it, at which point you have about a 50 percent chance of dying.
Thanks to first-world conveniences like indoor plumbing with clean water, effective sewer and other sanitation practices, and standardized mortuary practices (i.e. few of us handle our dead and many who are ill die in hospitals), the chances of Ebola spreading in the U.S. are much lower than in a third-world country.
The bad news is that even in first-world countries, there are vulnerable populations where Ebola could gain a foothold and spread. Take something like a homeless encampment in Los Angeles or San Francisco where there is no running water or functioning toilets and a high distrust of government officials and public safety officers. An outbreak in an area like that would likely spread beyond easy control before the cases were identified. Worse yet, the EMTs, police, or outreach workers might carry the pathogen back to their co-workers, their place of work, or their families. That is all it takes to create an outbreak and possibly some panic.
Don’t Rely on the Government
It could also be spread through sharing needles and other drug paraphernalia, prostitution, and in environments where large groups of people are housed in close quarters, such as tent cities, refugee camps, and slums. Keep that in mind if you are forced to become a refugee after a regional SHTF event. It is also a reason that bugging out in a rural area is better than an urban one. It is safer to share a hand-dug latrine with a dozen people than with hundreds.
We were offered a chance to be evacuated to the local refugee center (although it had a nicer name) after Helene. We refused. It turned out to be the right decision and reinforced that it is never a good idea to be a refugee.
One thing we learned during and after Helene is that while your local police, fire, and emergency management people will respond, you cannot rely on the state or feds for money. Yes, the military responded, but it was all short-term rescue and very little recovery. It will be two years in September since Helene hit, and there are still residents waiting for the government to remove flood-debris from their yard. People who did their own cleanup or paid for it themselves don’t have to look out their window and see a constant reminder of the storm. I also know people who are still waiting for promised government aid in rebuilding while those who turned to religious and other charitable organizations already have new roofs over their head.
Self Quarantine: Your First Line of Defense
I started this blog in March of 2020 to document our self-imposed quarantine. Happily, nothing like that is required now, unless you live in the danger areas within Central or East Africa. But should Ebola or another deadly virus reach the U.S., self-imposed quarantine remains one of your best bets.
Six years ago, we locked ourselves in before the government lockdown mandate. If Ebola reached our state, we would do so again. This time around, it would be easier. Back then, curbside pickup and home delivery from Walmart and Instacart were in their infancy. Few people were set up to work from home.
Whether it is because of an epidemic, a wave of civil unrest, martial law, or any number of other reasons, you should have a plan for how to self-quarantine. Even if you plan to bug out in an emergency, it is important to have an alternative plan for bugging in. You may not want to, but road closures, street takeovers, rioting, flooding, or other natural disasters may prevent you from doing so. So plan, ensure you have food and water to sustain you as a pandemic rages, and keep an eye on the news, because you never know what might happen.
