Following heavy media coverage of Ebola, a nursing home patient in the US demanded her long-time African staff nurse be allowed nowhere near her room. Racism? Try ignorance. The patient herself was African American.
The World Health Organization issued warnings for all countries to institute contingency measures in this international health crisis. So the question becomes, how is Dominica doing in this regard? And more importantly at the moment, are there any risks posed to us by overdramatizing the threat?
Ebola blisters occur all over both inside and out.
No one argues that it does not get much scarier than Ebola. The disease has now spread to a fifth country, brought to Senegal by a university student. A separate outbreak in the Congo, features a pregnant woman who contracted haemorrhagic fever and died despite medical treatment. Her condition was later diagnosed as mutated strain of Ebola, but not before it killed a number of her relatives and caretakers. Included in the toll were the surgeon and two nurses who operated on her, a medical assistant and hospital lab tech.
Apocalyptic scenes are unfolding in some stricken areas. Desperate shortages of ‘space suit’ protective gear, no isolation facilities or even running water make remote health centres breeding grounds instead of places of recovery.
Approach wisely
It is important to note that this is restricted to a very limited area of the continent. Our African students generally come from highly sophisticated areas of Africa where development far exceeds ours. To perceive them as refugees or here for charity simply flies in the face of the facts.
Even before Ebola, African students in Dominica have been subjected to a number of slights. At a time of infestation by Black Sigatoka, giant snails and poorly understood disease decimating the crapaud population, customs officials have to be extremely vigilant about pest importation. However, there are reports that care packages sent by African parents get through customs in Canada, UK, US and other Caribbean islands like St. Vincent. Identical packages arriving in Dominica are confiscated and destroyed. Meetings with Plant Protection and Quarantine officials are being arranged to review the matter.
Even before Ebola, African students uniformly complain of shoddy treatment by Princess Margaret Hospital staff compared to their white counterparts. If proven, offenders ought to be called out to make it abundantly clear that such behaviour does not reflect Government policy.
So, tossing Ebola into that mix does create a veritable witch’s brew. We commend the government of Dominica and the Ministry of Health for the recent excellent Ebola conference chaired by Dr. Velda Wade. Our health personnel are now highly sensitized. We’d better be: nurses and doctors are the first to die. The port of entry questionnaire for returning African students announced by the Chief Medical Officer Dr. Johnson, is a well thought-out reasonable response. It is left to be seen with what level of dignity and respect this will be implemented.
Resist prejudice
In the days of the struggle when we marched for African Liberation and the release of Mandela, we concluded the colonially brainwashed generation just had to die out for change to come. Unfortunately, after all these years, the same self-hating inferiority complex, ‘nice hair’ and shades-of-complexion preferential treatment is just as rampant as ever.
When any community feels stressed or threatened, there is a universal tendency for contagious fear to unmask primal prejudices directed at minorities and foreigners. Already, some are saying, ‘Stop anymore Africans from coming in.’ Such is the virulent tide of xenophobia I see rising against the strangers within our gates. God sent Ebola to challenge our values. This is an ice-cold test. It is only test. In the event of a true emergency, we must ensure that mass hysteria is not allowed to push public policy beyond reasonable safeguards.
We are proud to have multiplied hundreds of African students choosing to come here for a quality education. Beyond the positive economic impact, it affirms Dominica as a welcoming place to do business – not to mention, a testament to our traditional hospitality. But we must not drink the Kool-Aid and deceive ourselves into believing that everyone is just dying to come to the Nature Isle. Citizens of the world have options.
Ebola cartoon from Liberia, West Africa
For further clinical details on Ebola, please refer to this week’s informative article by Dr. Emmanuel’s team . On a side note, I must tell you that from living through the Anthrax scare in the US after 911, we know biological terror can be man-made. Computer geeks make viruses so they can sell virus protection software. So although the evidence strongly suggests a fruit bat / bush meat animal vector, some death-merchandizing cocomacaq is not totally outside the realm of possibility.
Nevertheless, like Dengue, like previous Ebola outbreaks, all epidemics come and go. This too shall pass. As ominous as it now sounds, it does not even begin to scratch the surface in terms of total mortality compared to the pandemic Spanish Flu of the last century (50 million dead worldwide) and other notorious plagues before that.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so we may fear less.”
Dr. Marie Curie, Polish-French scientist / Nobel Laureate
To date, there is not one recorded case of Ebola in the entire Western hemisphere. The highest priority indeed is to keep it that way. If one does arrive on our shores, given our vaunted health care system, we are as ready as any third world country to deal with it. If a case never materializes, then all our fears will have been for nought. Meanwhile, Ebola hysteria must not be allowed to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of our African guests. We can do better with our attitudes than that old nursing home patient. Rest assured we will get through this. And let us do so with our signature fairness, equanimity and respect.
Sad when one reads some of the wild, fear-mongering, prejudiced comments.
Look at the Tommy Lee Sparta Case. The Government got pushed into making rash decisions. They likely violated the Treaty of Chaguaramas and Dominica may well be liable.
If the good guys who know better say nothing, then the public square will just be one big echo chamber. Dictatorship or no dictatorship, the government falls in line with the backward mob mentality – especially if the ‘church’ throws its weight behind it.
I know a lot of balanced people think differently, but just say, “Say cor sa e yai.” Come on now, don’t you know? The only way for evil to triumph is for the good guys to do nothing.
The best way for protection is the imposition of travel restrictions. We cannot detect the virus of the common cold to cure or prevent it, but we can treat the syntoms until it takes it course. We never die , suffer pain or get disfigured. Ebola virus is a different story, just as contagious as the cold virus but more dangerous. You suffer pain, get disfigured inside and out , and may die.
The lady of the nursing home was just acting out of reflex action, self preservation. She wants to live. you know the moral of the story about the cat that got burnt in hot water.
Modern science of human evolution teaches that modern man came from Africa. The Garden of Eden was in Africa. So Dominicans need to wake up and cease the colonial monstrosity called inferiority complex and embrace their African roots. Ebola is not a race based disease. Let us quarantine those who show objective symptoms and educate the general population wisely. No need to perpetrate silly antI African phobia. Death to Ebola through wise application of science and not wishy washy fear mongering. Well done Dr Christian for speaking truth at a time when many of the insane seemed to have escaped the asylum.
Fear mongering or warning. You may want to be one of those dead bodies coming from the PMH. Can you imagine what it would be like if we have an Ebola epidemic.
Will you explain to the families of Swanson Carbon ,Justin Coipel and others how the wise application of Dr Christian’s sicence expertise and competence saved their loved ones.
There is a write on this blog currently which relates to the candidate for Roseau Central(on the UWP ticket)which describes DA as a big asylum. So did the candidate(not from Mancuria) really escape the asylum?
write -up
Excellent piece my friend Doc. Sam!
Well written article doc. I don’t consider myself being racist but I must admit doc that I am scared of that ebola virus and I am one of those that believed that students from certain part of Africa should not be allowed to come in to Dominica till that plague die out. But after reading your article I tend to agree with you. Thanks doc for educating us.
speaking or writing, but just saying nothing,that’s what i gather from your post.grow up and wise up.
Just last week, an African student was admitted to PMH for heavy periods and anemia. No other symptoms. Although she is in Dominica for over a year, doctors want to quarantine her for Ebola. This 100% true. If anyone can deny that, speak now or forever hold your peace
Now tell me. Is this science or is this madness?
We need to BAN the African students from entering Dominica!(like Barbados did)
Whilst we’re at it we should just shut down the airport. Whilst we are so concerned about the african students it could be a Dominican, American, Australian or someone from any country who brings it to Dominica. The world is very much Interconnected so banning one race wont help.
Dominica doesn’t have the equipment to cope with this Ebola thing except the Chinese has promised some health facilities from china to skerrith and if Dominica is far less developed than their country as we see on tv they should stay there and not infect us. They should not be allowed in Dominicans are not ready!
Well written!!
Way to go,Doc!!!….Ebola should not be allowed to spread but it doesn’t mean that the dignity of Africans should be squashed in the process…..THANK YOU SIR for this article,,twill go a long way in creating awareness which is exactly what Dominicans and the rest of the world need @dis tym….Being African AINT EQUAL to being an Ebola carrier!!!! WORD!
Well written article doc. thanks for poking at our consciences. Its amazing to see that even in tiny Dominica racism still exist; even amongst our own kind. with that said, I think more sensitization needs to be done, re the Ebola Virus, and in the event of an outbreak, the country would be better equipped to deal with the situation. In the meantime, belittling the African students here is uncalled for. Dominicans need to educate themselves, the powers- that- be needs to be proactive, and like every other “catastrophe”, if dealt with properly, shall pass.
Thanks for an inspiring article.
Crystal
In one breath we talk about Emancipation and African Liberation. In the same breath we discriminate against our own based only on melanin content and our real African brethren as well.
Time to get a grip. Respect Ebola but that’s no excuse for that witch hunt. When will we ever learn?
This is well said…After all man…Why should you stop people from coming to Dominica..Hey we should be proud and happy that Nigerians and Africans chose Dominica,what is it in Dominica to take home about…Please we should be reasonable and wise….And update our selves…In a continent t of 55-60 countries, and in a country with a population of about 140 million people and only
less than 20 cases of ebola in a particular region and most importantly only the people that had contact with the “American Victim” who imported that Ebola.May Dominicans arise and educate themselves with facts and stop carrying around fake and deadly news spread around by the media.
This is like the “voice in the wilderness” of the bible days …..certainly not from John De Baptist this time, but Dr.Christian . The massage is straight: as we observe and apply the adequate protective measures to keep this dreaded disease away from Dominica ,discrimination,slights and forth should not be part of the measures .Thanks to you Dr.Christian for raising your intellectual pen to educate us
What do we have in place to monitor the Ebola virus, we are so fragile ? I heard talk that they will be questioning the students who are coming from Africa. I’m sure that these students will not be speaking the truth, all they know is, they want to come to Dominica
Trust me on this: they doh WANT to come to Dominica. They WANT to be doctors and Dominica offers the cheapest rates in terms of studies.
@ Lacey Paris….. You are right. These people want an education, they want to be doctors because this profession is in demand and they want to make a positive contribution in their country. In the MDC’s the entrance requirement is set so high for selective reasons, some of it racial.