Ebola, Xenophobia, and Racism

Ebola is a virus is responsible for taking the at least 4,500 lives in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea (Ebola Fast Facts, CNN).  Three cases of Ebola have been diagnosed in United States in the past month, and one patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, was a Liberian citizen who died on US soil. His death has triggered country-wide anxiety, exposed America’s xenophobic beliefs and, in some cases, produced explicit racial discrimination.

American media coverage has inflicted us with the irrational fear that the United States is at considerable risk for the spread of Ebola. Patient Zero was a two-year-old from Guinea who died last December (Emergence of Zaire Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea, Baize). However, it was not until July when two (Caucasian) Americans, Dr. Kent Brantly and aid worker Nancy Writebol, were infected with the Ebola in Liberia that media coverage gained traction and attention in the United States (If news media had covered Ebola sooner, could latest outbreak have been contained, Farhi).

Three Caucasian people were successfully treated with an experimental drug, but when Duncan came to a Dallas emergency room reporting that he was recently in Liberia and was experiencing Ebola-like symptoms, he was sent home with antibiotics as if he had a bad cold. Two days later, of course, he returned to the hospital by which time it was too late to treat his Ebola virus and he subsequently expired. Some have attributed Duncan’s demise to a lack of communication between nurses and doctors. Others, like Duncan’s nephew, have insisted to the media that his inadequate care was a result of his race and lack of insurance (Ebola didn’t have to kill Thomas Eric Duncan, Weeks).

  

Months before Duncan came to America, a late August Newsweek installment featured a cartoon chimpanzee, with the caption, “Smuggled bush meat could spark a U.S. epidemic.” This portrayal equates chimpanzees with African people—and implies that African people who ate bush meat were the ones who began the recent epidemic that would shortly invade America. The Washington Post quickly released a story to disprove Newsweek’s theory, offering the theory that the outbreak was more likely due to fruit bats, “reservoirs of the Ebola virus” (The long and ugly tradition of treating Africa as a dirty, diseased place, Seay). This was given credibility based on an outbreak in May-November 2007 in the Congo.

Articles like Newsweek’s have been perpetuating xenophobia, the fear of foreigners. Elisabeth Hasselback from Fox News continues to question why America has yet to close its borders to planes flying in from western African countries, scroll down to see the video. To make matters worse, Republicans in Congress are trying to connect Ebola with immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border  (GOP strokes Ebola fears against immigrants, Santana). Their fear of Mexican immigrants carrying Ebola is an irrational smokescreen to advance their policy on border closures. There is absolutely no evidence to link these border issues with Ebola. Thousands of lives are lost in Africa due to the virus and the western media is putting the spotlight on Republicans making Ebola a political issue.                                                                              

 It is not just the Republicans who are raising fears. Navarro College, a community college in 

Texas, is refusing admission to students from “countries with confirmed Ebola cases” (Ebola Racism Reaches a New Low in Texas, Haglage). A Houston resident with a Nigerian brother-in-law and his nephew both simultaneously received rejection letters citing, “At this time, we believe it is the responsible thing to do to postpone our recruitment in those nations that the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. State Department have identified as at risk” (Ebola Racism Reaches a New Low in Texas, Haglage).This college is making the assumption that everyone from Ebola-infected countries is dangerous.  This attitude is even more concerning because Nigeria, after 42 Ebola free days, has been declared Ebola-free (WHO declares Nigeria Ebola-Free, Reuters) 


Ebola has spurred fear in the United States. The nightly news always has a segment on the status of identified Ebola victims in this country. This is a potential public health crisis to be sure, but Following the failure to recognize Duncan’s symptoms as Ebola, health professionals across the country are on high alert to raise flags and sound alarms when a patient’s history and symptoms suggest possible Ebola virus.  President Obama has even appointed a “czar” to oversee all responses to victims and to potential victims (Appointment of Ebola Czar Creates Controversy, NBC). But even the “czar” won’t be able to quell the worst responses to Ebola—those situations where it is used as an excuse to forward a political agenda or to the unfounded exclusion of people simply because of their race or ethnicity. America has always opened its doors to everyone and should not suddenly shut them because of Ebola. Our health professionals are ready and prepared-so should American society.