Ebola, the deadly virus that is running rampant in West Africa, has for the first time become one of Americans' top 10 concerns, shows a Gallup poll released Tuesday.
Five percent of the respondents in the Oct. 12-15 survey said they were worried about the disease, which has seen a few cases in the United States and has grabbed headlines worldwide after a major outbreak in West Africa.
The percentage ties the ratios of those concerned about federal budget deficit, ethical/moral/family decline, Iraq and education, according to the pollster.
Still, Ebola trails five other issues, namely the economy (17 percent), dissatisfaction with government (16 percent), unemployment (10 percent), health care (8 percent) and immigration (7 percent).
But it ranks higher than such other high-profile issues as race relations (3 percent) and terrorism (3 percent).
The Gallup poll was conducted while dozens of people in the United States were still being quarantined after coming in contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who died earlier this month from the virus within weeks after arriving in Dallas in the U.S. state of Texas.
Two of the nurses who cared for Duncan have now been diagnosed with the virus. Most others who had contact with Duncan were quarantined for three weeks, which ended Monday.