By: Katherine Lachcik, Reporter
The devastating and highly lethal ebola virus is becoming increasingly widespread and dangerous, but despite this many people remain ignorant about the reality of the situation. Jokes about having ebola, while hypothetically being made for mere humor, are causing considerable panic and anger among some people.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic virus which is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids (saliva, blood, etc.) and is characterized by several days of flu-like symptoms that eventually worsen. Various strands of the virus have different mortality rates, but as a whole, the virus is often fatal.
On a recent U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia to Punta Cana, a passenger was reportedly coughing and later said: “I have ebola, you’re all screwed!” Although he claimed that he was joking, four officials dressed in plastic hazmat suits escorted him off of the plane. Also, a man in the city of Cadiz, Spain, was reportedly arrested after pretending to have symptoms of ebola.
In the present atmosphere of worry, uncertainty, and anguish, it is both unwise and offensive to joke about the deadly ebola virus. It’s been recorded and confirmed that nearly 5,000 people have died from the virus, and the death toll is expected to rise in the near future. In addition, the virus now has the potential to be transported to other countries- the United States, Spain, and others-because sick passengers from West Africa are leaving their home countries.
History and Humanities teacher Mrs. Jennifer Mamula says, “I’m real worried- [the government] need to suspend all visas from affected African nations. Our troops should not be over there, and missionaries, health workers, etc. should stay over there as well.
Travelers from the most affected countries-Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-could most certainly carry the virus far from ebola’s place of origin, putting other countries at risk. However, securities in countries such as the United States have only just accelerated, giving the ebola virus ample time to reach such countries.
Junior Hanaa Iqbal says, “I feel like our government should have tried harder to keep the virus from reaching the U.S.”
Only recently has the U.S. government begun to increase security measures in Airports. In the most frequently-visited airports in the U.S., health screenings that detect signs of the ebola virus have now started. The West African countries most affected by the ebola outbreak are in a high demand for health centers and supplies. Also, food prices are skyrocketing, and the ebola virus continues to spread and mutate.
Clearly, the threat of ebola remains a dangerous hazard for several countries’ development and stability in West Africa. To dismiss or underestimate the damage it’s capable of causing, or to joke about the virus, is both insulting and impertinent,considering the damage it has done to West Africa and the destruction it continues to create.
“I’m hopeful that we can stop hearing about it, but I have the feeling we’ll hear about it a lot more,” says Mamula.
To diminish fears about the virus, and to slow the spread of ebola itself, additional measures to protect people must be enforced or developed amidst all of the uncertainty. The virus most definitely should not be joked about or taken as a laughing matter, and insulting or underestimating something so detrimental is highly aggravating and can have unpleasant consequences.