4 of 5 Filipinos worry about Ebola

This undated file image made available by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows the Ebola virus. AP

MANILA, Philippines—Four of five Filipinos worry that their immediate families would catch the Ebola virus, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The survey, conducted from Sept. 26 to 29, showed 82 percent of respondents saying they are worried about the Ebola virus disease. The worried include 49 percent who worried “a great deal” and 33 percent who were “somewhat” worried.

The SWS survey, released yesterday, also showed 18 percent were not worried about catching Ebola, with 13 percent saying they were “not worried too much” and 5 percent were “not worried at all.”

Across all areas, large majorities are worried about catching Ebola, notably in Mindanao (91 percent) and the Visayas (90 percent), compared to 76 percent in Metro Manila and 77 percent in the rest of Luzon.

Worry about catching Ebola was higher among those with a high school education or less, notably among the non-elementary graduates (87 percent) and elementary graduates (85 percent), compared to high school graduates (81 percent) and college graduates (76 percent).

Meanwhile, 73 percent of respondents said they were aware of Ebola, while 27 percent said they had no knowledge of the global threat from the disease.

The percentage of those who have knowledge of Ebola is higher in Metro Manila (83 percent) compared to those in the rest of Luzon (77 percent), Visayas (68 percent) and Mindanao (65 percent).

SWS also found that half of respondents (52 percent) closely followed the news on the spread of the Ebola virus in other countries, 25 percent of them saying they followed the news “very closely” and 27 percent “somewhat closely.” Inquirer Research