In both Ebola Outbreak by Dabbous and A mask on the Face of Death by Seltzer they discuss the social and political problems contributing to the spread of Ebola and HIV/AIDS. These Epidemics continue to spread thought out the world to millions of people. The main areas that these diseases began to spread began in very poverty stricken countries. Not only did poverty play a role in the spread but both Dabbous and Seltzer pointed out the lack of education in the area which leads people to easily be manipulated by stories about the diseases. The cultural practices in these areas contribute majorly to the spread of the Ebola and the AIDS virus. These viruses continue to spread to other parts of the world and is hard to contain to a specific location.
Dabbous talked about traditions in the culture in the area. During the funeral it was tradition to touch the body of the Dead. Even though the person is dead the Ebola virus is still very contagious. Just by touching the body the virus can be spread to the next victim. Many West African cultures attribute illness to causes that are unrecognized by western medicine such as ancestral influence, disruption of customs and social relationships, spirit possession, witchcraft and affliction by gods. The people of Haiti also had traditions that helped spread the HIV/AIDS virus at the age of fourteen like all of the Haitian boys, they are brought to a brothel for their rite de passage. This contributes to spreading the AIDS virus since
Because Ebola was unknown and never seen before, doctors and citizens in Ebola-infected cities did not know what kind of precautions to take when handling an Ebola-exposed person. As a direct effect to this, the virus spread tremendously fast through the city of Zaire, and eventually spread to many other countries due to the lack of knowledge of the infectious disease. Hospital workers dealing with Ebola-exposed patients took few precautions when handling blood and test tubes. Family members held funerals to those who died from the virus, which spread the disease among the family members. In fact, an article was published in the Houston Chronicle on October 19, 2000, stating that the 9 month child of Esther Awete, who died from infection of the Ebola virus, came down with the infection himself, just days after attending her funeral. Her other son, however, did not attend her funeral and ironically did not come down with Ebola. It is believed that if the virus can find a host quickly, then it can still survive after it's previous host dies.
Unlike HIV or other global viruses, Ebola is until this day geographically restrained, facilitating the deduction that the responsible originated from West Africa or returned from areas confirmed as danger zones. The list of suspects is indeed rather short: it amounts to Western Africans travelling to America and U.S. citizen contaminated in the same region. The latter category is, as cases in the western world indicate, consisted virtually exclusively of humanitarian helpers and health personal having been in contact with Ebola patients. Albeit these categories are subject to broad generalizations, they are the fruit of the apparent human condition to investigate, regardless of the rationality behind the reasoning. Seale baptised these generalisations “health imagined communities” (Seale, 2007, p. 92). Lupton emphasized on the experience that constructed risk communities don’t differ from real risk communities as much in their consequences as they do in their
During the burial process, mourning relatives embraced and kissed the dead body. In particular, secret societies ran burial sites which adhered to the practice of sleeping next to corpses while other traditions involves the act of bathing and anointing others in the water rinsed off from the deceased. As a result, the virus particles are transmitted through percolated bodily fluids and uncoagulated blood. In fact, according to WHO(World Health Organization), reports demonstrated that from sixty up to eighty percent of Ebola cases in the 2014 outbreak in West Africa are associated with burial traditions. Likewise, during the emergence Ebola Sudan, the virus was further spread through the intimate relationships between P.G.and his mistresses as said in The Hot Zone, “The agent jumped easily from person to person, apparently through touching and sexual contact.” (Preston
The AIDS epidemic, from its beginning, has elicited a variety of responses from individuals and governments alike. Because the disease was originally shrouded in such mystery, many did not know how to react, which fostered a default fear of the unknown response. This attitude lead to many governments adopting a denialist policy, countless individuals living and eventually dying alone due to an unwillingness to report their illness for fear of consequence or prejudice, and this allowed the HIV virus flourish. Several countries responded efficiently and effectively to the presence of the HIV virus in their midst, while other countries maintained an attitude of ignorance. The latter position contributed to a huge expanse of the HIV epidemic
This Ebola outbreak taught us many factors of public health that we simply ignore daily, like washing hands. These viruses are easily transmitted from person to person, through their blood or body-fluids. Therefore it is very important to research about our public health around us, for everyone’s health and future. The Ebola outbreak showed how the world is very ignorant of their public health. It is better for them to know all of these tragedies and educate themselve to prevent from any other outbreaks that will take place in the future. The plan to release more information and persuade to adjust West African culture will definitely make public healthier, view the world differently, and our future generations will learn the importance of learning
I believe that there are similarities to the way the media is covering Ebola now and how the media covered the illnesses discussed in Susan Sontag’s book “AIDS and ITS Metaphors”. The way Ebola is portrayed in the media can be very frightening. Since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak there has been a lot coverage of the illness, but I do believe that when someone in the United States contracted the virus it became a much more massively discussed topic. For example, an article by BBC News states “… the US military said that it expected to send a total of 3,000 troops to Liberia to combat the Ebola outbreak. The US had initially authorized up to 4,000 troops for the mission in
The airline restrictions harmed West Africa’s already fragile government by hampering the flow of aid and trade. The “Analysis of the West African Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic” shines a light on the need for reform in the Global Health System by emphasizing the failures of the government officials and organizations.
The Ebola epidemic has economically affected both countries where its cases have been reported and countries that have not reported cases of Ebola. The most affected economies are that of the US and other African countries (World Bank, 2015). In Africa, especially West African States where the disease has spread rapidly, Ebola has slowed down economic growth. It is very unfortunate that the epidemic has destroyed the economies of poor
In Africa ,“Society's fittest, not its frailest, are the ones who die—adults spirited away, leaving the old and the children behind. You cannot define risk groups: everyone who is sexually active is at risk. Babies too, [are] unwittingly infected by mothers. Barely a single family remains untouched. Most do not know how or when they caught the virus, many never know they have it, many who do know don't tell anyone as they lie dying.” The death of Nelson Mandela’s son is a strong reminder that no one in Africa can consider themselves safe from HIV. Yet as Africans gather around the coffin of there friends and colleagues, HIV is only whispered when it’s time to speculate on there death. Tuberculosis is put down for cause of death because it is more comforting then knowing they had AIDS. HIV/AIDS is sexually
Just about two decades ago, HIV/AIDS pandemic was the only thing that is mentioned in social media (Gus “Introduction to HIV/AIDS”). Proved to be originally from Sub Saharan Africa (S.S Africa) region, HIV/AIDS has spread throughout not only the S.S. Africa, but it eventually becomes the global disaster in the late 20th century (Gus). HIV/AIDS has gained attention from the media when the death many patients by the new emerging disease is reported in Europe and US (Satpathy 27). However, these cases directly refer to S.S. Africa because infected patients either are originally from or have travelled around this region (Satpathy 28). In addition, out of 1000 blood samples result taken in Kinshasa in 1970s, scientists have found HIV positive among these blood sample (Satpathy 28). This means that HIV/AIDS have been circulating around this region for at least 10 to 12 years since HIV is an asymptomatic disease (Satpathy 41). However, the HIV/AIDS only becomes an epidemic in S.S. Africa around the late 20th century, shown in statistics that are taken from UNAIDS: Progress Report 1996-1997. Many people blame the poverty in S.S.Africa as the cause for letting this deadly disease out of control. Others criticize the African government for avoiding the responsibility of suppressing this epidemic. Certainly, in order to prevent a further pandemic, we need to study the actual explanation of this epidemic. This arises the question: Why did HIV/AIDS become an epidemic in the late 20th
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa first broke the news in March 2014. Considered an epidemic, this outbreak killed five times more than any other Ebola outbreak combined. The virus is traced back to a two year old toddler who died in a south-eastern Guinea small village in December 2013. It took nearly three months for the health officials to identify the cause of people’s illness was Ebola. At that point, the virus had already spread and was set to explode around the world. West Africa was not prepared for this type of epidemic, the clinics had never managed this type of case, there was no laboratory to diagnose the patients, and the government had never witnessed that type of upheaval. The people initially denied the crisis because they didn’t understand why, how, or what had hit them.
People that catch disease are those who come in direct contact with blood, bodily fluid, or semen that is infected with the Ebola virus. Some scientists have theorized that the virus begins with a human that comes in contact with an animal that is infected. The most common form of spreading is with person-to-person contact with and individual who has the disease. Hospital workers and family members who take care of individuals who have contracted the disease are the ones that are most often at risk of spreading the Ebola virus. In countries
In today’s world it seems as if people and society care more about how people dress and how they look ignoring what’s around them. In reality, many countries are facing problems that seem to be out of their reach, and the countries simply cannot control nor fight the problem. One of many large global health issues is HIV/AIDs. Although the virus exists in many places all around the world, it is affecting and impacting poor, undeveloped countries the most, for example Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is facing this epidemic in which many of its people are suffering from the virus HIV/AIDS. There are many methods in which a person can get infected. HIV/AIDS is also affecting the countries, but most
Over the years, there has been a deeper understanding of the scope of AIDS and who the people are who struggle with this life ending disease. In this paper, I will attempt to shed some light on the truth concerning the epidemic and dispel some of the myths associated with the disease. I hope to also look at the psychological and social processes that those with the deadly disease encounter and what society has done to educate people about the disease.
HIV is a virus that affects all parts of the globe. However, there are two major global epidemics. The first being in the west and developing countries. In these areas the pattern of infection is found in certain groups. These groups being “drug injectors, gay men and prostitutes” (Pisani p. ) This epidemic is known as the “concentrated epidemic”. This particular pattern HIV spreads rapidly in a concentrated groups. This is because you are most likely to pass on the virus when you are in the first stage of HIV. In a concentrated tight knit group of people who are having several sex partners and sharing needles with others it is easy for the virus to be transmitted. The other epidemic pattern is seen in east and southern Africa as well as some parts of east Africa and the Caribbean. This pattern is also known as “generalised epidemic”. This pattern is different because HIV is in the general population appose to a concentrated population.