It's getting increasingly disturbing how ignorant so many are about both geography and Ebola. I noted yesterday that there have been at least a handful of documented cases where a student, principal, school bus driver, or guests at a school have either been sent home or have prompted parents to keep their children home due to fear of a person from Africa or traveling from Africa potentially spreading Ebola to their kids. The crazy thing about every one of these cases is the fact these individuals, whom were from or traveled from Africa, were between 1,000 and 3,000 miles away from the Ebola outbreak.
That brings me to an even more recent such case, where Liberian-American mother and TV presenter, Shoana Solomon, released a viral video telling a sad tale about her 9-year-old daughter, whom was told at school that she has a disease because she's Liberian. Just a day later, after the little girl sneezed in class, she was sent home. This is despite the fact that, in the past two years, she hasn't traveled to Liberia or interacted with anyone whom had visited the country.
In the video, Ms. Solomon says the following:
"I am hurt and upset. We are Liberians, Sierra Leoneans, Guineans, and Nigerians. We live in a region that has been devastated by a deadly disease, but we're not all infected. It is wrong to stereotype and stigmatize an entire people. Remember, we are human beings."
Ms. Solomon is absolutely correct. Sadly, these are times when I think fear, paranoia, and ignorance, in conjunction with prejudices, gets the better of some people's common sense. Out of 47 countries in the continent of Africa, only 3 are currently battling the Ebola outbreak (Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea). According to my math, that means 44 of the 47 countries in Africa aren't fighting the Ebola outbreak.
What's worse than many people not appearing to know that Africa is more than just one large country is the fact some people seem to believe that, regardless whether a person has traveled to Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea since the outbreak started or not, they think natives from those countries automatically have Ebola in their blood and should stay far, far away.
It's like with the little girl I mentioned earlier - she may have been Liberian, but hadn't traveled to nor interacted with anyone from Liberia for the past two years. In other words, there's close to a 0% chance she has Ebola. What, do members of the school faculty and some parents think that, even though she hasn't been to Liberia in two years, since she's Liberian, Ebola automatically goes into her system? This is when people's prejudices gets the better of their judgment.
School faculty: "Have you been to Liberia recently?"
Little Liberian girl: "No, not for a long time - probably two years, I'm guessing."
School faculty: "Have you talked to anyone from Liberia recently?"
Little Liberian girl: "Nope"
School faculty: "Didn't you sneeze in class today?"
Little Liberian girl: "Yeah, probably allergies"
School faculty: "Hmm... But, you're Liberian, right?"
Little Liberian girl: "Yup"
School faculty: "Hmm, yeah, that's what we thought. Well, since you sneezed and you look so much like 'one of them,' I think we should probably send you home, because, well, you kind of frighten us. If we have an Ebola outbreak at this school, you'll likely be to blame."
Little Liberian girl: "I just sneezed. Other kids sneezed in class too."
School faculty: "Yeah, but they're not black, I mean, Liberian, I mean, why don't you just go home, so we can all feel better about things? Thanks."
Little Liberian girl: "But... but..."
School faculty: "Go on out now, and please wear one of these while you do so." :: hands her a mask ::
Yeah, as Ms. Shoana Solomon said, "I am a Liberian, not a virus." Amen.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/10/22/3582749/mother-fights-ebola-stigma/
That brings me to an even more recent such case, where Liberian-American mother and TV presenter, Shoana Solomon, released a viral video telling a sad tale about her 9-year-old daughter, whom was told at school that she has a disease because she's Liberian. Just a day later, after the little girl sneezed in class, she was sent home. This is despite the fact that, in the past two years, she hasn't traveled to Liberia or interacted with anyone whom had visited the country.
In the video, Ms. Solomon says the following:
"I am hurt and upset. We are Liberians, Sierra Leoneans, Guineans, and Nigerians. We live in a region that has been devastated by a deadly disease, but we're not all infected. It is wrong to stereotype and stigmatize an entire people. Remember, we are human beings."
Ms. Solomon is absolutely correct. Sadly, these are times when I think fear, paranoia, and ignorance, in conjunction with prejudices, gets the better of some people's common sense. Out of 47 countries in the continent of Africa, only 3 are currently battling the Ebola outbreak (Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea). According to my math, that means 44 of the 47 countries in Africa aren't fighting the Ebola outbreak.
What's worse than many people not appearing to know that Africa is more than just one large country is the fact some people seem to believe that, regardless whether a person has traveled to Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea since the outbreak started or not, they think natives from those countries automatically have Ebola in their blood and should stay far, far away.
It's like with the little girl I mentioned earlier - she may have been Liberian, but hadn't traveled to nor interacted with anyone from Liberia for the past two years. In other words, there's close to a 0% chance she has Ebola. What, do members of the school faculty and some parents think that, even though she hasn't been to Liberia in two years, since she's Liberian, Ebola automatically goes into her system? This is when people's prejudices gets the better of their judgment.
School faculty: "Have you been to Liberia recently?"
Little Liberian girl: "No, not for a long time - probably two years, I'm guessing."
School faculty: "Have you talked to anyone from Liberia recently?"
Little Liberian girl: "Nope"
School faculty: "Didn't you sneeze in class today?"
Little Liberian girl: "Yeah, probably allergies"
School faculty: "Hmm... But, you're Liberian, right?"
Little Liberian girl: "Yup"
School faculty: "Hmm, yeah, that's what we thought. Well, since you sneezed and you look so much like 'one of them,' I think we should probably send you home, because, well, you kind of frighten us. If we have an Ebola outbreak at this school, you'll likely be to blame."
Little Liberian girl: "I just sneezed. Other kids sneezed in class too."
School faculty: "Yeah, but they're not black, I mean, Liberian, I mean, why don't you just go home, so we can all feel better about things? Thanks."
Little Liberian girl: "But... but..."
School faculty: "Go on out now, and please wear one of these while you do so." :: hands her a mask ::
Yeah, as Ms. Shoana Solomon said, "I am a Liberian, not a virus." Amen.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/10/22/3582749/mother-fights-ebola-stigma/
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