Recently, reports appeared in various media about an attack on a clinic in Liberia. As far as most of them go, a clinic in West Point, a suburb of Monrovia, Liberia, was attacked by a mob armed with clubs. Of the previously 29 patients, all tested positively for Ebola, 9 died in the days before, 17 fled after the attack, and 3 were subsequently taken away by their families.
Why did this happen? I wasn't very well informed about the whole background of the story (and browsing the internet, realised I was far from being the only one), and so felt the need to get more information to put things in the grander scheme. This is what I've got so far.
Things are not going well in Liberia. No ****, Sherlock, you'll reply; the spread of Ebola has been the death of hundreds of people already and no end is in sight. But there's more. Supposedly, the mob that attacked the clinic was shouting phrases like "There is no Ebola", and insulting the president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, accusing her of faking the Ebola crisis in order to receive international funds.
Indeed, there seems to be a rampant rumour or belief going on in Liberia according to which this whole Ebola business is fake, some even claiming it to be some dark machination orchestrated from Western countries. The fact that the government of Liberia established curfews and quarantines certainly does not help the matter, and naturally the shops and businesses are not running well, which aggravates the matter further. I'd personally worry more about a few hundred deaths than about doubled food prices, but who am I to judge.
So not only do we have to fight against the worst Ebola outbreak the world has ever seen, but also the misinformation and superstitions are standing in the way. Things are definitely not going well.
To end this post with slightly better news, despite all the recent alarms, no case of Ebola has been confirmed outside of Africa yet; where we have results it seems the ills are of a completely unrelated nature.
This kind of thing has happened before, and will happen again. In the mid 2000s, the South African government itself was packed with AIDS denialists. In the early 2000s, a large number of U.K citizens were convinced that MMR caused autism. The lack of a proper education on the subject, coupled with high levels of mistrust of the government and healthcare professionals is the likely cause of such problems.
The lack of a proper education on the subject, coupled with high levels of mistrust of the government and healthcare professionals is the likely cause of such problems.
Sounds like an astute conclusion.
Could it mean that if a disease epidemic of similar scale would occur, say, in America, the government should expect a wave of attacks coming from anti-vaccination people?
Could it mean that if a disease epidemic of similar scale would occur, say, in America, the government should expect a wave of attacks coming from anti-vaccination people?
Almost certainly. True, we should mistrust big pharma, but in many people's minds this works to make them think that all their opponents are right.
Scary stuff.
Did anyone read about this, reporting on the National Deputy Chief Medical Doctor in Liberia, Dr. Abraham Borber, who died from Ebola? If the National Deputy Chief Medical Doctor can't save himself....
Hey, thx again religious people! This time ebola can wipe out hopefully the whole of humanity *sarcasm*
After the totally successful anti-condom movement of the Catholic Church, what made practically 100% of Africa infected with AIDS, another religious section spreads ebola in addition!
If the National Deputy Chief Medical Doctor can't save himself....
If he was treating patients, he got in contact with patients. That made him take a big risk, which makes his commitment all the more laudable.
A development that is also worrying is that treatment centers become more and more mortuary stations where 'atients' are left to die because of treatment and personnel short-comings (at least I guess so).
Hey, thx again religious people! This time ebola can wipe out hopefully the whole of humanity *sarcasm*
I don't think religious people are to blame for this epidemy. The reasons are more likely to be the hygienic conditions and, as mentioned, mistrust and low education. Reasons, especially hygiene, that make it improbable that Ebola should ever spread globally.
After the totally successful anti-condom movement of the Catholic Church, what made practically 100% of Africa infected with AIDS, another religious section spreads ebola in addition!
The Catholic Church should definitely stop campaigning against condoms, but to be fair local superstitions also contributed to the spread of AIDS. For example, I don't think raping a virgin really cures you from AIDS..........
I don't think religious people are to blame for this epidemy.
Hm, so you say the lack of hygieny has nothing to do with the local superstitions? Like, for example, digging out or not burrying the deads, inarming them as religious ("superstitious" act of showing respect to the dead, rejecting "western" instructions for quaranteen based on local "supersition" (= religion) has nothing to do with the spread of this epidemy?
I bet there is "no corellation" between low education and "local superstition" (= religion) either...
Superstition =/= Religion. Certain superstitions certainly help the spread, as does ignorance (like saying that Ebola does not exist, is a scam of the government to get more funds etc.). And yes, I'm pretty sure lacking education does favour the spread of superstitions. All I'm saying is you cannot throw everything on the back of 'religion', it's a little more complex than that...
