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Daniel Whatley
14 November 2014
Throughout history, mankind has had to endure the nastiest illnesses on the planet,
such as malaria, bubonic plague, and influenza. The reason that bacteria and viruses
are so deadly and tough is because of mutation. Such is the case with Influenza, which
has mutated into different strains such as H1N1, H1N2, and H2N1. And now, with the
recent outbreak of a deadly strain of ebolavirus, the Zaire ebolavirus, in West Africa,
This particular outbreak began in Guinea when a two-year-old boy (the index
case) ate a hammer-headed bat, which is a reservoir host of Ebola virus disease, as
well as dozens of other serious pathogens such as rabies and severe acute respiratory
proximity, and can be spread by almost any type of bodily fluid, it has become
widespread in three countries and claimed thousands of lives in just six months
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Ebola is usually contracted by those
caring for infected people, which is why ten percent of the cases and casualties have
been healthcare workers (World Health Organization). These healthcare workers are
members of the non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders, which is the main
source of medical help for the infected West Africans. However, even though Doctors
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dollars to fund it. Some say this is a waste of money and that what happens in Africa is
not America's problem. However, it becomes America's problem when infected Africans
are coming to America with Ebola, as was the case with Thomas Duncan. He brought
Ebola to America and infected two Americans in the process. Most would agree that
something has to be done, but no one has a perfect solution, and there may not be one.
One possible solution to Ebola is the one that America is choosing right now:
spend billions of dollars on the epidemic and hope it doesn't spread. This is a terrible
idea and is a complete and utter waste of government money. There is no need for
spending that much money on one outbreak of a disease; if it was going to be resolved,
it would have been already. No matter how much money is given to Doctors Without
Borders, the people of Africa cannot be helped if they do not understand the
seriousness of the issue and how to help themselves. If a single outbreak can kill
thousands of people in just six months, and the supporting money is not having any
major effect on the resolution of the Ebola virus disease epidemic whatsoever, then
another outbreak will be unlikely to occur. As of now, Africans are ignorant when it
comes to birth control, hygiene, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. For example, "In
Liberia, a mob attacked an Ebola isolation center, stealing equipment and "freeing"
educate West Africans, then there would be no rebellions, and there would not be a
Humans have survived many worse epidemics than Ebola; humanity will live to
see another day, but the correct decisions must be made about this issue. History has a
way of repeating itself, and if nothing is done right now to prevent a future Ebola virus
disease outbreak from occurring, then mankind will be ill-prepared when it happens
again.