Angelina McNeela | @A_McNeela_NS

I don’t find it unreasonable to consider a potential pandemic.

No, I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I don’t think Ebola is being used as a fear factor — this is a real threat. The Centers for Disease Control is estimating “1.4 million cases by Jan. 20 if the disease keeps spreading without effective methods to contain it,” according to a Sept. 23 The New York Times article. I don’t see how anyone takes this lightly.

I’m not saying go home and hide your children and wives … yet. But, it baffles me that 14 years ago people were willing to stock up on canned foods and generators for the Y2K bug, yet a problem like Ebola has people joking about it.

Blake Glosson | @blake_glosson

You don’t have to be afraid of Ebola, but it doesn’t hurt to be wary.

The Centers for Disease Control asserted Ebola can only spread from one person to another via bodily fluids, making its rate of transmission between humans relatively low.

While some argue the Ebola strain could mutate to be an airborne pathogen, the World Health Organization continues to assure us no evidence exists to suggest viruses change their mode of transmission. These reports are consoling, but I would feel even more comfortable if the Centers for Disease Control provided additional research proving the impossibility of such a mutation.

Marilou Terrones

Students should be aware of Ebola rather than afraid of it.

Although some countries are taking precautions to prevent the virus from spreading, the government cannot stop Ebola by evaluating the state of passengers at airports — it’s essential people follow hygiene rules to remain healthy.

Some viruses are spread through automatic actions, so we want to make sure we aren’t increasing the amount of germs around us. New viruses are transmitted frequently, so we may not catch Ebola, but we may catch a different virus.

Even if Ebola were never to reach Illinois, we should educate ourselves on viruses.

Carl Nadig | @carlnadig

Ebola is a sensitive issue and instigating undue fear isn’t the responsible way for us to act.

If there’s anything the majority of Americans have caught, it’s a case of the political hype virus transmitting before November’s Midterm Elections: America’s self-interest in the nation’s health appears goaded by political agendas rather than due concern.

With more contagious diseases spreading than Ebola, the human race has survived more catastrophic illnesses in its history. That doesn’t imply Americans should dismiss the virus and sooth our selfish anxieties before helping the people who need the real help in West Africa.