--- title: Ebola Symptons: How Virus Fears Might Affect Flu Season description: Since Ebola's first symptoms resemble that of the flu, fears about Ebola could drive an influx of patients to doctors and emergency rooms with flu... canonical: https://time.com/3525350/ebola-flu/ author: David Johnson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-21T16:54:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:35.501Z article:section: Health og:title: How Ebola Hysteria Could Impact Flu Season og:description: Are fears of Ebola driving more Americans to report flu symptoms? og:url: https://time.com/3525350/ebola-flu/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Ebola Hysteria Could Impact Flu Season twitter:description: Are fears of Ebola driving more Americans to report flu symptoms? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # How Ebola Hysteria Could Help Contain Flu Season > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Nigeria is an Ebola Success Story: Here's What The Country Did Right [Watch (HLS stream): Nigeria is an Ebola Success Story: Here's What The Country Did Right](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mSo7iFZ3.m3u8) (2:43)  _Published 2014-10-21. The World Health Organization declared Nigeria free of Ebola on Monday, a containment victory in an outbreak that has stymied other countries’ response efforts._ by [David Johnson](https://time.com/author/dave-johnson/) ## David Johnson Oct 21, 2014 4:54 PM UTC by [David Johnson](https://time.com/author/dave-johnson/) ## David Johnson Oct 21, 2014 4:54 PM UTC Since Ebola’s first symptoms resemble that of the flu, fears about Ebola could drive an influx of patients to doctors and emergency rooms with flu symptoms, who might otherwise have stayed home, doctors say. Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [estimates](http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm) that between 5% and 20% of Americans get the flu, though most don’t see their doctor. In 2011, the last year for which [data is available](http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61%5F06.pdf), 1,532 Americans died from influenza. That number gives a sense of which disease is more dangerous to the greatest number of Americans. While only three people have been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, nearly 40 percent of Americans say they are concerned that someone in their family will get the deadly virus within a year, a [Harvard Public Health poll found last week](http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/poll-finds-most-believe-ebola-spread-by-multiple-routes/). While the media and polls depict an American public that is acutely fearful about Ebola, there is only modest evidence of a widespread change in behavior thus far. That could change as flu season kicks off, especially if new cases of Ebola arise in the United States. “We might expect to see an increase in people seeking health care for influenza like illness this season,” said Dr. Richard Webby, the director of a World Health Organization center studying influenza. But Webby described the flu as “background noise,” for its potential interference in efforts to contain Ebola. For those who do see a doctor, the CDC tracks the percentage of visits in which the patients report flu-like symptoms, regardless of whether he or she actually has the flu. This figure is the best to follow to determine how fears over Ebola are influencing Americans’ response to the flu. Since March of this year, the percentage of flu related visits has been higher than the same period in 2013\. This uptick approximately correlates with the rise of Ebola new coverage. **Percentage of Outpatient Visits Reporting Flu Symptoms** There is a historical precedent for fears of a pandemic raising concerns among those with the regular flu. CDC epidemiologist Lynnette Brammer, who [developed the surveillance program for tracking flu cases](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/federal-faces-lynnette-brammer/2013/03/11/7d109f12-8a89-11e2-98d9-3012c1cd8d1e%5Fstory.html), recounts a more dramatic trend in 2009\. “During the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, we did see an increase of people going to the doctor with flu-like symptoms,” she said. “Normally they would have stayed at home, but because they were worried about H1N1, they got tested.” Over 200 labs submit specimens tested for flu to CDC’s flu surveillance network. The number of specimens tested each week, graphed below, rises along with the increase in patients with flu symptoms. Fear over Ebola may explain this rise, though the most recent uptick in October marks the beginning of a new flu season, in which CDC added 120 new laboratories. **Number of Specimens Tested for Flu** Of course, the severity of the flu varies from year to year, which could also account for any change. Of the specimens tested above, the 2014 strain of the flu outpaced the 2013 version through May, but now appears indistinguishable. **Percent of Specimens Tested Positive for Flu** _With additional reporting by Pratheek Rebala._ **Methodology** Data from the Centers for Disease Control [weekly influenza reports](http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/#S4). ### See The Tobacco Leaves That Could Cure Ebola  Tobacco plants are grown for six weeks in the Medicago greenhouse in Quebec City so their leaves are large enough to serve as a factory for making antibodies. The plants are not modified or genetically altered in any way during this time. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  Researchers at Icon Genetics in Germany prepare the DNA coding for antibodies that can neutralize Ebola. These genes are inserted into a soil bacterium that easily infects the tobacco plant cells. Once in the cells, the gene is treated like any other plant gene and the plant starts churning out the antibodies. Sean Gallup—Getty Images  To infect the leaves with the antibody-containing bacteria, the plants are submerged in a water solution of the loaded bacteria. Plant cells have plenty of empty spaces filled with air, so a vacuum removes the air and the water, along with the bacteria and antibody genes, flow in. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  The leaf at the bottom has not been treated. The leaf on top is now an antibody-making factory. The plant's normal machinery starts making the antibody as if it is a plant protein. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  Researchers at Icon Genetics grind the leaves down to filter out the antibodies. Sean Gallup—Getty Images  Ultraviolet light reveals the clusters of cells that are busy making antibodies. One kg of leaves produces about 5g of antibodies, which is about a third of the dose required to treat an Ebola patient. Sean Gallup—Getty Images _Read next:_ [_Your Ultimate Guide to What Works (and Doesn’t Work) to Prevent Flu_](http://healthland.time.com/2013/12/09/your-ultimate-guide-to-what-works-and-doesnt-work-to-prevent-flu/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ## Transcript Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, is free of Ebola after it went 42 straight days with no new cases reported. As the epidemic rages out of control in neighboring Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, how did Nigeria become an Ebola success story? [ MUSIC ] Declaring an emergency right away. When Nigeria had its first confirmed case of Ebola, the government declared a national public health emergency immediately. That means that strict procedures for treating patients and screening people were quickly put into place. For example, local health workers paid $ 18, 500 face to face visits to take the temperatures of nearly 900 people who had contact with Ebola patients. Training local doctors. The World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders trained local doctors on how to treat patients effectively. But the country posed a unique challenge as the number of people living in Lagos is around 21 million. That's almost as large as the populations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone combined. How can the disease be contained under such circumstances? The answer, high quality contact tracing by experienced epidemiologists. With the help of GPS systems and daily mapping, government officials reached 100 % of known contacts in Lagos and placed them in isolation wards. Managing Fear. Nigeria used social media and televised campaigns to reach its 174 million residents. To prevent panic, the country showcased patients who were successfully treated, and produced awareness campaigns on the disease. From national TV appearances by the president, to an online campaign starting Nigerian actors. No effort was spared to reassure the country's vast population. 0800 EBOLA HELP now. Keeping borders open. Nigeria made the decision of keeping it's frontiers open to travelers from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Saying that closing the borders would only hurt commercial activities in the countries whose economies were already struggling due to Ebola. At the same time effective screening procedures checked incoming visitors. The average number of travelers screened each day reached more than 16, 000. Even though the outbreak was contained Nigeria is now slowing down its training and preparation procedures in case there are new cases. 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