Ebola. Just the word creates a sense of panic and concern. Will it spread to Florida? Will animals contract it too? Will we all die?
A major problem with Ebola is that so many people are misinformed about the disease, both in America and in West Africa. In Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, where the disease has claimed more than 4,922 lives according to the World Health Organization (WHO), many people don’t know how Ebola is spread or what basic health precautions can thwart it. Many people are plagued by fear and superstition surrounding the virus, like the idea that ignoring Ebola’s existence will assure immunity from it.
In America, however, we face a different dilemma. We might not believe in the superstitions, but so many of us are ignorant about basic facts and knowledge about Ebola and are consumed by the media created fear.
One of the biggest confusions about Ebola is the way it is spread. Ebola is a virus, which is a non-cellular particle. Viruses are not living, and they operate by essentially hijacking other cells and forcing that cell to replicate, therefore spreading the virus. Whereas illnesses like influenza are airborne, Ebola can only be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids.
When compared to victims of other virulent diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola patients are far less likely to spread the virus to others. According to the National Public Radio, each infected Ebola patient infects on average two others, whereas SARS infects four, and the measles infects 18. Ebola also can only be transmitted when an infected person is showing symptoms.
Ebola became an epidemic due to the sanitary issues in hospitals in West Africa, where now there aren’t enough beds for the sick, and dying children are left to sleep on the floors of the hospitals. The shortage of doctors and beds only causes death rates to soar and the virus to spread faster.
However, the media has generated a frenzy of concern surrounding Ebola. Sure the disease is nothing to scoff at—the mortality rate after catching the disease is upwards of 50% according to WHO—but the likelihood of Ebola becoming a health crisis in America is slim.
Here’s the thing—America has resources and health care that countries like Liberia do not. So far, America has been taking careful precautions to prevent the further spread of Ebola after Thomas E. Duncan brought the disease to the U.S. The ambulance he was transported in was taken out of use until it had been completely decontaminated, and the family members and health care workers who have interacted with infected patients are being monitored .
AP Biology teacher and Science Department Chair, Paula Phillips, said that she believes Ebola will not become a huge hazard in America.
“It doesn’t spread in the way other viruses can be spread,” she said. She believes that unless we throw all our safety protocols out the window, Ebola should not be a major threat.
Phillips said that the countries in West Africa currently do not have the means to control the problem, whereas America does, and unless the virus mutates to spread airborne, this country is essentially fine. Countries in West Africa, where there is talk about the epidemic becoming an endemic, are an entirely different issue.
Yet if in America there is such a small chance that Ebola will become a major threat, then why is it garnering such attention on the news? The answer lies with public fear and fear-mongering.
One of the most famous examples of fear-mongering in the past was when Senator McCarthy presented a list of “Communists” that were supposedly working in the Department of State. More recently, the media stirred up panic post-911 about terrorist attacks.
In the case with Ebola, the media creates panic by focusing on the threats that the disease could pose to our lives, as opposed to the reality of the situation. By creating fear, the news stations are able to attract more viewers.
AP Psychology teacher, Donna Walker, said that there are multiple causes behind the public fear surrounding the Ebola virus. “One is the fear of the unknown—we don’t know for sure it can be stopped and contained,” she said.
Walker also explained that having the disease on American soil only increases mass panic. American interest in the disease peaked when Thomas Duncan brought the first case of the virus to Texas, and then concern peaked again when one of his nurses contracted it.
People tend to act based on how others around them are acting. Walker said this phenomenon is called plural ignorance.
“If groups of people are observed to be worried and panicked, that sends us the message we should be similarly panicked,” she said.
So how do we conquer this public fear surrounding the Ebola virus? The biggest thing is to be educated and informed about the issue. Try not to make decisions until you know all the facts.
If you’re still worried about Ebola, just remember the panic surrounding the H1N1 flu a few years ago. Everyone panicked for a couple months, then the alarm died down. Let’s stop worrying about Ebola and concern ourselves with more important issues.
