This March, an outbreak of Ebola began in Guinea, spreading to Sierra Leone and Liberia. The number of confirmed cases has since risen to nearly 14,000, including nearly 5,000 confirmed deaths. Americans didn’t seem to care too much until August, when an aid worker was diagnosed with the virus and brought back to the States to be treated. Suddenly, Ebola was all over the news and on everyone’s mind. People with viral symptoms suddenly worried whether they had the flu or something much worse. News organizations did nothing to curb the worry, rather they exacerbated it.
Why has the whole nation become infatuated with Ebola? The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. can be counted on one hand, yet about 40% of Americans feel that there will be a widespread outbreak of the virus in the United States. President Obama has appointed an Ebola Czar and several states have implemented mandatory 21-day quarantines for anyone returning from West Africa. I understand that certain safety measures should be taken, but this is getting out of control.
Is it human nature to immediately think of the worst-case scenario? Perhaps. The hysteria could also be attributed to laziness. Often we hear a scary headline, immediately make assumptions, and jump to conclusions without reading or hearing the “fine print.” For instance, news reports may lead with the fact that between 50% and 90% of Ebola victims eventually die from the virus, but we are so frightened by this that we fail to see that the disease is only spread through contact with blood, bodily fluids, or a corpse. Another very plausible (and morbid) cause for the mass hysteria is that we really love to be entertained. Jody Lanard, a risk communication expert, claims, “People love zombie movies. People love monster movies. They know it is fun to think about. Now there is a new disease that is just as exciting, and even scarier.”
Of course, I don’t agree with the point that Ebola is “fun” to think about, but it definitely gets the imagination going for many people. We’ve all seen the pictures of Ebola victims, and “Ebola zombie” is a legitimate search suggestion on Google.
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Let’s take a step back here and put this whole Ebola scare into perspective. Yes, this is the largest outbreak of Ebola in history. Yes, it has caused many deaths. However, there are numerous other diseases that are much more devastating to societies in Africa and around the world. In Guinea alone, it is estimated that around 130,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly 5,500 died of the disease last year. In 2012, it was estimated that there were over 200 million cases of malaria worldwide.
Rather than panicking about Ebola, we should be working to combat it, along with other horrific diseases that we rarely consider. We seem to have this mentality of “if it’s not directly affecting me, it’s not my problem,” and what a terrible mindset it is. Let’s address these kinds of issues head on for what they are, not what we perceive them to be. We have a responsibility to do what we can to make the world a healthier, safer place. These issues are of a large magnitude; they affect us all. Be an active citizen, and don’t let fear get the best of you!
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