The UK has been shocked by the news this morning that a British citizen is being treated for the Ebola virus at Northampton's General Hospital.

Just two months ago, Coventry's main walk-in health centre was shut this weekend after a patient arrived with symptoms of the Ebola virus.

The man - who had recently returned from Nigeria - arrived at the Hillfields centre before the tests came back negative.

New government guidelines have been issued in a bid to tackle the spread of the deadly virus, with health screenings implemented in airports across the land.

The virus has killed 8,429 people thus far, with the vast majority coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.

However, there seems to be a lot of scaremongering surrounding the disease right now. In this article, we separate the myths from the facts of Ebola.

MYTH: It is a matter of time before it goes airborne

While the virus IS mutating, it is not airborne. Experts suggest that it will never become airborne.

A virus very rarely changes the way it is transmitted. Currently, the virus spreads via the endothelial cells. To become airborne, it would need to attach itself to the alveolar cells of the lungs - and health officials have suggested that this is a genetic leap in "the realm of science fiction".

MYTH: It is highly contagious

Ebola victims infect, on average, two healthy people - and this figure can be reduced with appropriate precautions.

In context, the Sars outbreak in 2002 saw victims infect five people, while mumps and measles infect ten and eighteen respectively.

  • Ebola - 2

  • Swine flu - 2

  • Sars - 2

  • HIV - 4

  • Smallpox - 7

  • Mumps - 10

  • Measles  - 18

To put Ebola into context: you are much, much more likely to die from common flu.

The risks from the disease come from the bodily fluids of those infected - blood, saliva, vomit, semen and sweat. These can spread the disease if they come into contact with the lining of your nose, mouth and similar areas. This is why health workers caring for the infected are bearing the brunt of the disease.

MYTH: If you catch it, you will die

The Ebola outbreak of 2014 has a fatality rate of roughly 48 per cent.

In October, of the 8,000 confirmed as diagnosed with Ebola, roughly 3,900 of those had died and, given the poor conditions of healthcare in the affected areas, this rate is likely to be lower for patients with modern medical care.

MYTH: It has crippled Africa

Ebola is far and away from being Africa's number one infectious killer.

Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV claim more lives per minute than Ebola, with thousands of lives already being taken across Africa by the aforementioned three diseases so far this year.

The three nations most affected are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

MYTH: You can't tell if somebody has Ebola

People who display no Ebola symptoms - even if they carry the disease - are not yet infectious. Casual contact doesn't spread the virus, either.

An infected person will typically develop a fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, sore throat, and intense muscle weakness after five days of becoming infected.

Diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain and impaired kidney and liver function follow.

MYTH: You cannot catch it from dead people

The virus can still be present in a deceased person after they have died from the illness.

Health officials are concerned the disease may spread during traditional funeral practices, with people who have died from Ebola needing to be handled with care and buried immediately.

MYTH: Health workers spread the disease to begin with

Thoughts that health workers are spreading the disease all by themselves is false.

The World Health Organisation claims that the initial source of the Ebola virus was likely to be human contact with animals through hunting, butchering and preparing meat from infected animals.

It is entirely possible that somebody who has close contact with small rodents, shrews or bats passed on the disease.

Experts are advising people not to hunt or eat this type of bush meat.

MYTH: Once you are cured, you are cured

Ebola is said to linger in semen after infection and being cured.

The World Health Organization says Ebola can remain in semen for seven weeks after recovery. Other experts suggest it may be present for up to three months - so it is advisable for Ebola victims to steer clear of sexual contact in the months succeeding contracting the illness.