Health experts: Low chance of Ebola outbreak in US

A deadly virus with no cure or vaccine is a reasonable cause for concern, but experts say the arrival of Ebola in the U.S. is less worrisome than the common flu.

"The probability of any one hospital having to deal with a single case, let alone an epidemic, is very, very rare," said Dr. Jill Hoffman, who specializes in infectious diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Hoffman said the good news about Ebola is that it does not spread very efficiently.

"Doing routine isolation precautions, we can protect healthcare workers and other patients and families," Hoffman said.

The symptoms may be horrifying, but Ebola isn't nearly as infectious as other more mundane viruses, like the flu. At a news conference at Children's Hospital Wednesday morning, health officials encouraged the public to prepare for the start of flu season rather than a confirmed case of Ebola in Texas.

"Standard flu kills a lot of people, so I would take this as an opportunity to get immunized against the flu," said Dr. Grace Aldrovandi of Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Given the size of the outbreak in West Africa, experts say they're not surprised that Ebola made it to the U.S., but they note that American hospitals are prepared to handle it.

"Outside of West Africa when cases of Ebola have been diagnosed, what we've observed is that it hasn't spread anywhere," said Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser with the Los Angeles County's Department of Health.

American hospitals are capable of isolating and tracking infected patients, unlike in West Africa, he said.

Ebola can only spread through contact with bodily fluids, like blood, vomit and diarrhea. The common cold, however, can be spread through the air.

Experts say the chance of Ebola mutating is highly unlikely.