As the Ebola crisis continues, rates of another epidemic seem to be increasing: "Ebolanoia." The term was coined by Maryn McKenna, author of the book Superbug and a writer for Wired, who has been collecting incidents of Ebola-mania on her Tumblr, The Further Adventures of Germ Girl.
Ebola is a scary disease. But many people seem to be avoiding rational discourse about it, instead deciding that freaking the hell out is probably a better option. Here are just a few of those incidents, some of which were chronicled by McKenna (where noted).
1. New York, New York
According to NBC New York (via Maryn McKenna), two middle-school-aged brothers who recently immigrated to the Bronx from Senegal were beaten last week after two weeks of being taunted about the virus, according to father Ousame Drame. The brothers were taken to the hospital.
Drame said his sons have been cruelly harassed for two weeks over Ebola. Days after news broke that the deadly disease was in the United States, he said students, whispering the word, "Ebola," told other students not to talk to the boys. They were treated like cancers, he said.
"If they go to the gym they don't want them touching the ball - 'Oh, you have Ebola, don't play with us,'" Drame said.
Senegal had one case of the virus, reported in August. The country was declared Ebola-free October 17. Says the CDC, of Senegal and Mali, "These countries each had a single case, and persons traveling to these countries should not be considered to be at risk for exposure to Ebola."
2. Hartford, Connecticut
The Associated Press reported yesterday on a young girl who has not been allowed back at school after she returned from Nigeria, where she traveled with her family for a wedding.
The father of a Connecticut third grader filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday, saying his daughter has been unfairly barred from school amid fears she may have been exposed to the Ebola virus while in Africa. ...
When the girl tried to return to the Meadowside Elementary School, she was told by the school district’s health director that she would have to stay home until Nov. 3 “due to concern from certain parents and teachers that she could transmit Ebola to other children,” according to the lawsuit.
Nigeria hasn't seen Ebola since its last case back in September.
3. Stokes County, North Carolina
A middle-school assistant principal returned from a trip to South Africa on October 20th, at which point she was barred from returning to work until after a 21-day quarantine period, according to TWC News (via Maryn McKenna).
On Monday night, school board members decided that Meghan Wood will wait to return to Chestnut Grove Middle after parents voiced concerns about Ebola and her time in Africa."It’s not that we think that she poses any type of risk, but it's public perception here that we're concerned about," said Sonya Cox, chairman of the Stokes County Board of Education.
South Africa is approximately 3,000 miles from the West African outbreak.
4. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Even family businesses aren't safe. At least one U.S. restaurant is suffering because of its association with Africa during the Ebola crisis, reports KMSP-TV.
Mama Ti's African Kitchen, a restaurant that serves Liberian food, reported on Sunday that it might have to undergo a makeover thanks to the Ebola crisis halfway around the world.
“This African name that brought people in before, is now hurting me," the restaurant's owner Kellita Whisnant said. "We get the jokes, the ridicule."
Piece by piece Whisnant is covering up the word "African" on her restaurant's sign, hoping to create a new identity.
“Now they're even afraid to shake our hands,” Whisnant says. “Just putting that tape up there triggered emotions that I keep down, but that really hurt.” ...
The restaurant is now considering the possibility of changing the entire menu from Liberian cuisine to American deli food, just to survive.
Ebola is not a food-borne illness, nor have any cases been reported in Minnesota.
5. Fort Worth, Texas
A 911 call, released to NBCDFW, was placed earlier this month by a man claiming to have been exposed to "an Ebola pilot."
911 Operator: Sir, sir, listen to me. There's an airline pilot there and he told you he had Ebola?
Caller: Yes, he has been exposed. He came out of West Africa.
911 Operator: He came from West Africa?
Caller: From a European environment. Yep he has.
911 Operator: You said you were exposed?
Caller: I'm sitting next to him. And he has been on a flight from European countries.
911 Operator: Is it just that you've been exposed, or are you having any of the symptoms?
Caller: I'm sitting next to him and having dinner. And he just revealed that he's been in the European countries, including west Africa.
911 Operator: Ok, and are you having any chills or sweats?
Caller: I am not exposed. I am not having any indications.
An ambulance was sent, but no one was taken in. Because no one in the restaurant has Ebola.
For more stories on taking Ebola fears too far, read McKenna's Tumblr. And to avoid doing it yourself, step back for some perspective -- and keep washing your hands.
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