Poll Reveals Concerns, Misconceptions of Ebola

In a recent Harvard School of Public Health poll, 52 percent of respondents said they were concerned there would be an Ebola outbreak in the United States in the next year, though some faculty members at the School of Public Health and the Medical School have been quick to point out that an outbreak is unlikely.

The proportion of respondents concerned about an upcoming outbreak increased 13 percentage points, up from 39 percent in August. However, Michael J. VanRooyen, a professor at HSPH and HMS, said that despite the public’s increasing concern, Ebola is not a large threat to U.S. residents.

“I don’t think an [Ebola] epidemic is likely at all,” he said.

Professor and former dean of HSPH Barry R. Bloom agreed, noting that the disease could be contained after entering the U.S. “The probability that [someone infected would come into the U.S.] is a possibility, but it is unlikely that, if you track down their contacts, it would spread,” he said.

The poll also suggested that many Americans are misinformed about how Ebola can be transmitted.

Ninety-five percent of respondents said they believe that a person is likely to get Ebola from contact with bodily fluids of a symptomatic person, while 88 percent indicated that they believe that a person is likely to get Ebola by touching surfaces that have been in contact with infectious bodily fluids. While these are in fact methods of transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 85 percent of respondents also said they believe that a person is likely to get Ebola if they are coughed or sneezed on by a symptomatic person. The World Health Organization has said this is not a likely method of transmission, if it happens at all.

“If this is the perception of the public, there is still a lot of education that has to be done by credible sources,” VanRooyen said. “It’s good that people don’t ignore it or think that it’s not a serious threat—I think it’s a potential threat—we just need a good understanding as to the real risk [of Ebola transmission].”

Bloom and VanRooyen both agreed that, although Ebola is a deadly disease, medical treatment is sufficient in the U.S. to treat those with Ebola as long as hospitals are prepared to deal with the disease. Participants in the poll seemed to broadly share Bloom and VanRooyen’s confidence, with eighty percent of respondents saying that they believe someone in their community would survive Ebola with medical care.

According to Gillian K. SteelFisher, deputy director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, the poll will provide information to policy leaders and media, facilitating the development of public policy to combat the disease.

“We [conduct polls] not to be sensationalist,” she said. “[Our goal] is to actually try to provide a lens into a complex and frightening issue for people.”

The poll surveyed a total of 1,004 people from Oct. 8-12, interviewed via telephone, and marked the second in a series by HSPH, with the first poll conducted in August. SteelFisher said that she plans to continue with additional polls in order to gauge public perception of the disease.