Should U.S. worry after 1st Ebola diagnosis?

For the first time, a patient in an American hospital has been diagnosed with Ebola.

The unidentified man, who is being treated at a Dallas hospital, didn't show symptoms until after four or five days of arriving in the United States from Liberia.

Citing privacy concerns, official are being tight-lipped about how he contracted the virus or how he's being treated.


Shortly after the news broke Tuesday evening, more than 50,000 tweets about Ebola flew through Twitter in a one-hour period, many of them panicked responses.

Should we be concerned?

The short answer: no.

FACT: You cannot get #Ebola through the air, water, or food in the U.S. Learn more → http://t.co/Cn45X01hMf pic.twitter.com/08u3hJCxTY

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 30, 2014
Now let's get to the long answer.
Could the patient's fellow passengers be infected?

The patient being treated in a Dallas hospital flew from one of the Ebola hot zones -- Liberia -- to Texas.

But his fellow passengers aren't thought to be at risk because you can only contract Ebola through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who's actively sick with with it.