The spread of Ebola: How the world health organization’s rhetoric contributed to virus transmission

Authors

  • Celeste Condit University of Georgia (USA).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.6.4403

Keywords:

Ebola, rhetoric of science, health communication, science communication, World Health Organization

Abstract

The tragedy of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa was exacerbated by World Health Organization (WHO) rhetoric that depicted medical personnel as saviors of an irrational and emotional public. That common rhetoric rests on a faulty image of scientific knowledge as a substance that binds its affiliates into a community with special powers and immunities. This analysis shows how such rhetoric blinded the international community to attending to the potential role of health care sites and health care workers as vectors of disease transmission. This case illustrates why analysis of rhetoric is part of a full scientific approach to gaining, sharing, and deploying knowledge.

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Author Biography

Celeste Condit, University of Georgia (USA).

University of Iowa. Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia (USA). She currently focuses on the role of emotion in public discourse especially at the global level. She has served as co-editor of Women’s Studies in Communication and Critical Studies in Media Communication (both with Bonnie J. Dow).

References

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Published

2016-04-15

How to Cite

Condit, C. (2016). The spread of Ebola: How the world health organization’s rhetoric contributed to virus transmission. Metode Science Studies Journal, (6), 121–127. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.6.4403
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Issue

Science grid: The public understanding of science (2016)

Section

Word of Science. The rhetoric of scientific communication

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