Perspective From Abroad: Media Sensationalism and Ebola

The Ebola virus outbreak that is currently plaguing Western Africa has dominated international headlines since the first deaths were officially confirmed in March this year.

The outbreak was first reported in the southwestern region of Guinea, Gueckedou, where a young child was suspected of consuming infected meat and passed away in late Dec. 2013. This was the first instance in which the Ebola virus was diagnosed outside of Central Africa. The outbreak quickly spread to two nearby regions in Guinea — Macenta and Kissidougou — due to the high virulence of the virus, claiming 131 victims by the end of March. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in late March and June that the epidemic had spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, respectively. According to the WHO, five months after the first case in Guinea was diagnosed, the current outbreak became the most deadly incidence of the disease since its discovery in 1976.

There have been a number of other cases reported outside of the three aforementioned countries including cases in Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Spain and the United States. And even if you have not been closely following the Ebola news that has monopolized global headlines, it is clear that the intercontinental spread of the disease to the U.S. and Europe has significantly increased the amount of international attention that the epidemic has received.

Listening to citizens from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, many have said that the Ebola epidemic is a global threat without borders. People from this region of West Africa have criticized the international community for not working harder to provide vital resources to hospitals and clinics in need. Even basic supplies like hand sanitizer, which could dramatically help contain the epidemic, are hard to come by in some contaminated areas.

Additionally, cultural stigmas and communication barriers have been two other obstacles that authorities and health workers faced early-on in the outbreak. Burial ceremonies involving contact with infected bodies led to extensive spreading of the virus in the first months of the outbreak and, given the diverse range of languages spoken in the affected countries, universal education about the virus was difficult to implement immediately.

Given these challenges, much of the effort to fighting the epidemic here in West Africa has been focused on awareness and prevention. Advertisements describing the symptoms of the virus and steps to avoid becoming infected are seen all over on billboards and television commercials, and even in local football stadiums. One main focus of the authorities working to control the outbreak is to make the population aware of how the virus is transmitted and how it can easily be prevented by following basic sanitation principles such as regular hand-washing and avoiding all contact with potentially infected persons.

Here in Senegal, the disease was introduced in the north when a man from neighboring Guinea traveled to the capital city of Dakar by public transportation. Due to the vigilant efforts of Senegalese authorities, the virus did not spread to anyone else and the Guinean national returned to his home country in October, free of Ebola.

I spoke with Senegalese citizens about their views of the international response to the epidemic and many voiced their frustration with the sensationalized and uninformative reports of Ebola in Senegal.

“For days the only information I knew was that Ebola was in Senegal, only later did I learn that it was only one person, and the man wasn’t even from Senegal,” a student in Saint-Louis Oumar Baldé said. Other Senegalese agreed that much of the international news of Ebola in their own country was “over-dramatic.”

This news frenzy had a number of detrimental ramifications on commerce here in Senegal. Most notably, the tourism industry has been seriously affected by the sensationalized case of Ebola in Dakar. Beach-side resorts and hotels sit vacant even in the full swing of the tourism season because many European tourists who typically spend their vacations here feel that Ebola still poses too much of a risk in Senegal.

While both Senegalese citizens and authorities alike take the disease very seriously, they have a pragmatic approach to their view of the epidemic. One pharmacy worker said, “The first reports of Ebola in Senegal created unnecessary panic. We have a much better perception of the disease now, we are better prepared, and more importantly are remaining calm.”

But the paranoia over Ebola in the U.S. is trans-Atlantic. The case of the Liberian-America diagnosed with the disease in a Dallas hospital incited enough panic to shut down schools as far north as Ohio. Even the email regarding Ebola, distributed to the entire Middlebury community, shines a light on how concerned — and perhaps irrational — people have become.

While it is imortant that the public is kept informed about the movement of the virus, it is equally important that this reporting is conducted responsibly and not used as an opportunity to create fear and perpetuate racism. As Middlebury students who aim to be global citizens, it is our responsibility, too, that we also remain current with the events of today, such as the ongoing outbreak of Ebola. But the next time you are catching up on the latest news about Ebola, I urge you to read with a prudent and discerning eye.

This sensationalism only serves to create more panic about the ‘crisis in West Africa,’ and thus sell more shocking front-pages. But what is more harmful is that this type of news debases the huge efforts of the relief workers and governments working to stop the virus. Authorities in affected countries are effectively managing the epidemic to the best of their abilities given the resources available to them, but before the end of this outbreak can be realized, this region of West Africa will need more from the international community than just sensationalist headlines.

 

William Melhado ’15 is currently studying abroad in, and writing from, Senegal.