‘Ebola in Town’: Ebola awareness via music
A music video by Liberian based trio D-12, Shadow and Kuzzy of 2 Kings offers a message of the things you should do to avoid contracting or spreading the lethal Ebola virus.
The song warns of close personal contact– “Ebola, Ebola in town, Don’t touch your friend!, No touching, No eating something, It’s dangerous!”
And the risks via eating bushmeat–
“If you like the monkey, Don’t eat the meat, If you like the baboon, I said don’t eat the meat, If you like the bat-o, Don’t eat the meat”
The World Health Organization (WHO) says infection has occurred through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest. It is important to reduce contact with high-risk animals (i.e. fruit bats, monkeys or apes) including not picking up dead animals found lying in the forest or handling their raw meat.
In addition, it can spread within the community from human to human. Infection occurs from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, or other bodily fluids or secretions (stool, urine, saliva, semen) of infected people. Infection can also occur if broken skin or mucous membranes of a healthy person come into contact with environments that have become contaminated with an Ebola patient’s infectious fluids such as soiled clothing, bed linen, or used needles.
Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola. Persons who have died of Ebola must be handled using strong protective clothing and gloves, and be buried immediately.
People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus.
As of 23 July 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to Ebola Virus Disease in the three countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) stands at 1,201, including 672 deaths. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Despite the serious message in the song, some have criticized the video for different reasons. Some say it will cause a stigma for those who contracted the virus, recovered and survived.
One poster on YouTube writes: “if your a Liberian you should know this is most certainly not the way to reach out to uneducated people in Liberia. I bet you when they hear this song play they think it’s all joke. I know my Liberian people very well. You reach out to them by being direct and straight to the point.”
Seems direct and straight to the point to me…
Video: TheDapacman420