1/ W/Ebola in West Africa, there was a term & #39;Ebola business& #39; that referred to the idea that Ebola was either made up or overblown & used as a way to enrich the already rich

We& #39;re facing our own version of & #39;Ebola business& #39; w/the questioning of & antagonism to COVID strategies https://twitter.com/AbraarKaran/status/1260408433531994114">https://twitter.com/AbraarKar...

2/ When Ebola hit DRC, the same term- despite being ~4500 miles away- was used for the same idea

That is to say that we - the US/West - are not exempt from the common human reactions to epidemics that have happened in recent outbreaks in other places https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28355/to-defeat-the-ebola-outbreak-congo-must-also-overcome-popular-mistrust">https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/...

3/ Just like when we faced similar distrust & antagonism w/Ebola response in other settings, we need to figure out how to address & #39;rumors& #39; & reframe messaging & recommendations for COVID in the US/West

This is not a passive endeavor & requires expertise & ACTIVE engagement

4/ In Guinea, we had people like @AnokoJulienne & Cheikh Niang- anthropologists -who understood context & built bridges w/communities to convey what was happening & needed to happen

It& #39;s arrogant to think we don& #39;t need the same analysis of our & #39;anthropological& #39; reaction to COVID

5/ We can& #39;t let that reaction happen haphazardly just like we didn& #39;t when responding to Ebola in Guinea or DRC

We need to engage people& #39;s misunderstandings & work on re=shaping them to ensure appropriate habits & choices are taken up to curb COVID& #39;s spread

6/ That& #39;s more important than ever given the political backdrop in this country...but also not impossible

We overcame something more severe when we stopped Ebola in Guinea - fresh from autocracy & a hotly contested election - just a few years ago... https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1508413">https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/...

7/ It& #39;s time for other voices. Many are saying & will continue to say what& #39;s needed in terms of technical -epidemiology, testing, etc - strategy

We also need anthropologists, social thinkers, politicians to address this epidemic & frame what we need to do TOGETHER to take it on