According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Ebola could infect up to 1.4 million people by the end of January. In Liberia and Sierra Leone, where this contagion has taken its worst toll, researchers speculate that there have been about 21,000 confirmed cases. What is even more concerning and further proves the CDC’s statistical projection is that in these same Ebola-ridden communities, the number of reported cases seemingly doubles every 20 days.
These staggering statistics were brought to my attention by Clark faculty’s David Jordan. Dr. Jordan, President of the Seven Hills Foundation, has devoted his life’s work to bettering others’ standard of living in 8 different developing countries around the world. Much of Jordan’s work brings him to some of the most impoverished countries in the world, such as Sierra Leone and Haiti, so the Ebola crisis is particularly on his radar.
David Jordan, whom I listened to in the back row of Jonas Clark room 215, highlighted the fact that President Obama, who has now led several world-wide discussions regarding Ebola, “does not get up and have two press conferences in a row if he is not worried.” On September 25th, at a special United Nations meeting concerning the Ebola outbreak in New York, Obama made public that “Stopping Ebola is a priority for the United States…but (Ebola) must also be a priority for the world.”
Some may argue that now, more than ever, global health concerns should be addressed. Many geological and demographical experts insist that “the earth is shrinking” due to our shorelines steady recessions and exponential population growth. Perhaps it won’t be long before the entire human species is squeezed together like sardines on shrinking bits of land. Maybe it’s time to invest in the health of our neighbors and the health of our world—our “global health.” Dr. Jordan’s opinion: “we need to deal with public health concerns everywhere. With diseases, there are no national boundaries…This issue transcends our borders.”
If you would like more information on Ebola, visit our earlier post on the outbreak.