Visual Analysis Of Ebola 2014-2014

"Ebola Facts: What Is Being Done to Improve Medical Treatment in Africa?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 July 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/31/world/africa/ebola-virus-outbreak-qa.html?_r=0>.

Ryan White was one of the many people entangled in the hysteria. White, who contracted the virus through a bad blood transfusion, endured much ridicule in his short life. Rejected by his friends, neighbors and even his own school, White felt like an outcast. (Johnson, 1) Most of the people’s fear, stemmed from their ignorance on the topics of AIDS.(Johnson, 1) Hysteria started when people thought AIDS could be contracted by a simple handshake, which made people scared of getting the disease.(Johnson, 1) White began to educate people about this disease by spreading awareness on the subject.(Johnson, 1) People slowly started to realize that the disease wasn’t as contractible as the hysteria led them to believe.(Johnson, 1) Ryan White died at age eighteen, from complications from the AIDS virus.(Johnson, 1) White still serves as reminder of how much we learned from the hysteria. (Johnson,

The panic and confusion could be more disruptive than the disease itself. While one cannot put money value to life, the true economic costs of pandemics are usually way off the mortality figures. For example, the outbreak of a relatively rare disease like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) with 8,273 cases as of 2003, caused just over 800 deaths[2]. But in terms of damage to the global economy, the figure was more than $50 billion in less than a year, more than the value of Kenyan economy, the 4th largest in Africa. While we can only know for sure, whether present policy responses were overblown two years at least after the end of the outbreak, as humans there is a natural tendency to overprice the risks of viral transmission, even for a rare pathogen with statistically low risks like Ebola (MacNeil A, 2012).

From the very first cases diagnosed in Africa, it seemed the American public jumped the gun when it came to the widespread hysteria the quickly followed. In Jack Ohman’s cartoon, he cleverly picks up on this slanted logic and makes light of it through his picture. In his depiction, it can be assumed the the frazzled man is an American citizen from the “USA” spelled out on his shirt. He appears to be holding a fast food order, a can of beer, as well as a cigarette. Across the top, statistics are spelled out indicating the number of deaths per year each of the items he has cause. However, the man is not concerned with this and is only seen worrying about Ebola.

The documentary Sick Around the World has really opened my eyes about the United States health care system. The diversity of health-care systems in other countries would make individuals think that the United States would have thoughts of changing a majority of their policies. The information given in the documentary was factual and useful to my knowledge. The information also provides me with ways I could approach my future career in health care, which is epidemiology. As an epidemiologist, disease would be my main focus point which produces an impact on individuals. More disease, equals more health care and more expenses. In this paper, I intend to include details about the documentary, present an analysis of what was shown, and express my reaction to the video.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, radio stations in Liberia have been unloading countless public awareness songs about the disease. Prompted by the government and aid agencies, the underlying themes tended to paint a dark reality, in which there was no cure and no one should ever have physical

In the past century, the American public’s reaction to disease has varied because certain major factors. During the Ebola outbreak, sparse physical domestic presence, sensationalist pop culture, and intense physical symptoms worked together to create a divided reaction among the American people: either panic or apathy. In HIV/AIDS, demographic-specific infection and divided media representation led to two different reactions depending on one’s race, sexuality, or religion: In unaffected populations, HIV/AIDS was met with prejudice and stigma, whereas affected populations viewed HIV/AIDS with fear. Also, the “invisible” nature of HIV/AIDS’s symptoms worked to perpetuate concern and panic in all populations. In the polio outbreak, fear mainly

There is a negative relationship between the “stigma” of the AIDS/EBOLA pandemic and the quality of care

Historically and globally, viral infections have ruled the lives of many. With that, a great example of this idea is seen throughout the movie “Outbreak.” In this movie, a fearful battle between a single virus and humans is established, in addition to scientific ignorance and corruption. Outbreak also describes the emotional liability of humans to save the nation as seen by the president of the United States and military forces. As a result of this information, public health is a key factor throughout the movie and in future nursing practice.

Dangerous diseases constantly appear in the news. Currently, Zika virus is causing a demand for action to protect the general public. Due to the public outcry, President Obama has decided to ask Congress for money to fight against Zika virus. To analyze this within the context of political science, two things must be understood. First, understanding the broader sense of why the president needs to ask Congress for funding. Second, is to understand what happened when the president asked Congress for money to fight other diseases, like Ebola.

The virus Ebola, or formally known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is something most, if not all, Americans have heard of in these past few months since it has taken American media by storm. Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness, with an astonishingly high case fatality rate. It is considered one of the world’s most virulent diseases and is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people ("Ebola Virus Disease"). This, however, is not the only aspect of Ebola that should be considered. Even though it is often difficult to accept that humanity has an innate stereotypical attitude and a dormant racism that surfaces in times of distress (like the Ebola outbreak), it is crucial to recognize that the virus Ebola has not only the power to evoke physiological harm, but also political and social harm. It is slowly worsening an already fragile Western society, weakened from previous years of blatant racism and constant fear. Therefore, the naive American public should care to examine the virus Ebola from a sociological viewpoint, in addition to a medical one. Western culture has peculiar views on global disease in the twenty-first century, especially since geographical location largely contributes to a global public health inequality. Consequently, the American media 's portrayal of people of color, specifically Thomas Duncan and President Barack Obama, contributes to and sheds light on the healthcare disparity in the United States.

For instance, whites, Republicans, and Hispanics all reported double digit increases in distress about Ebola, as well as increased support of isolating or refusing U.S. entry to people traveling from affected African countries. The responses are more tune to emotions and media coverage that provoke the situation. This will help inform scientists, policymakers, and media to increase public knowledge, implement policies and repel prejudice.

The lack of basic health services in large parts of the world allows diseases like Ebola to spread due to a lack of early warning. Primary health care services, laboratories and critical care facilities are necessary to alert the world that an outbreak of a dangerous disease is ongoing. In addition

Ebola is a terrible disease that can kill entire families. Many people would have never thought that, it's been around since 1976. Many things attributed to this deadly disease. For many years the rural community or health center where able to contain Ebola where it occurred. In 2013 people infected with Ebola came into cities where there was a dense population of people and there was a major outbreak. These communities were oblivious about what was happening to their loved ones. They continued being around those that were sick and with their burial tradition. This included washing and touching the infected bodies.

Point 3: The Media proliferated “otherization”, and tapped into existing biases, fears and ignorance about Ebola and Africa to morph public opinion.