STATEMENT ON EBOLA
October 8, 2014
BY
Akin Ogundiran
Chair, Africana Studies Department
“Ebola is a rare and deadly disease that is spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or died from Ebola”. The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has so far claimed almost 3,500 lives since March of this year. The hot zone of the epidemic is Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. The outbreak spread to Nigeria and Senegal but it seems these two countries have been able to contain the spread of the disease among their populations. For example, no new case has been reported in Nigeria over the past 32 days. Cases of Ebola have also been reported in Spain and the United States. There is up to date information at the website of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention about the nature and status of the disease as well as precautions: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/monitoring-and-movement-of-persons-with-exposure.html. There are assurances last Friday (October 3) by the local health officials in Charlotte that they are confident they have the capacity to deal with any occurrence of Ebola in this region http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/nephew-man-diagnosed-ebola-called-cdc/nhZ7G/
There are still many things we do not know about the disease. This time calls for vigilance and caution. It is however important not to succumb to the apocalyptic fear that may drive individuals and institutions to make irrational decisions in dealing with the nationals of the countries where Ebola has been identified. We all need to educate our communities about this disease. We should also endeavor to show sensitivity when addressing this issue with members of our community who are currently grieving for their loved ones who have died or are sick from Ebola.
AO
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Akin Ogundiran, Ph.D. | Chair, Africana Studies Department
Professor of Africana Studies, Anthropology & History
UNC Charlotte | Africana Studies | Garinger 113
9201 University City Blvd. | Charlotte, NC 28223
Phone: 704-687-5162 | Fax: 704-687-1682
ogundiran@uncc.edu | http://www.africana.uncc.edu
Africana Studies @ UNC Charlotte: 40 Years of Transnational Education in a Global City
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