The world we live in continues to become increasingly smaller and more connected.
Local Rossland nurse practitioner Patrice Gordon returned home after her humanitarian work in West Africa. All of a sudden a light goes off and there is a personal connection between the Ebola virus and our community. Gordon was admitted to hospital with symptoms that could possibly have been related to Ebola, giving the illness a face for all us here at home.
Some people have questions as to why our government is spending taxpayer money and resources on an Ebola response and hopefully an eventual cure. They ridicule the humanitarians for assisting in affected regions, they question the government for committing these resources and out of fear they get angry at people for travelling. Sure we don’t want Ebola to arrive here, but some are not in favour of the appropriate measures being taken for fear that it will hit their hip pocket.
As a society we want to enjoy the freedom to travel and engage in rewarding work. Plus we want to help cure the virus and have a responsibility to help mankind, even if they do not reside in the same country as us.
Why do these naysayers assume the third world will cure infectious viruses and diseases when these poor people cannot even afford to feed themselves?
Why should this return of an aid worker spark the community’s attention? We are more than happy to benefit from products, produce and cheap labour costs abroad throughout the year, but when it comes to knowingly exporting our skilled aid workers, some are not in favour for the perceived risks, which they probably assume are air borne.
We all pray that the virus will be contained and eradicated immediately and hope it does not personally encroach upon our lives. But the answer is not to avoid the third world but to be prepared, take precautions and assist in finding a cure for Ebola.