U.S. African Immigrants Fear Ebola Stigma

Oct 06, 2014 11:48 AM EDT

(Photo : REUTERS/Jim Young ) Local resident Shadiya Abdi speaks to the media about her concerns on the impact of the Ebola crisis on African communities outside the apartment complex where Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian citizen diagnosed with the Ebola virus, was staying in Dallas, Texas, October 4, 2014.

The threat from Ebola is weighing on some African immigrants in Dallas who feel they are getting the blame for bringing the virus to the U.S.

A Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, has been confined at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital since September 28 because of Ebola. He arrived from Liberia on September 20 and fell ill a few days later.

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Some African immigrants in Dallas said that Duncan's case had caused them to feel isolated as people started avoiding them or giving them curious glances.

A Liberian who identified himself as Sekou told Reuters, "Some people around here see us as bringing the disease and that's just not right."

A local politician, Eric Williams, said some children of African immigrants have been labeled "Ebola kids."

Fears that the virus could spread have forced five Vickery Park students who came in close contact with Duncan to temporarily stop attending classes, according to Williams.

Immigrants from other African countries besides Liberia are also receiving a backlash from Duncan's case.

A 27-year-old Somalian woman, Shadiya Abdi, said people were looking at African immigrants as if they are all Ebola carriers.

In a popular tourist site in downtown Dallas, an Ethiopian parking employee made a similar remark, saying someone had told him to have himself quarantined.

American Ebola cases have prompted calls for President Barack Obama to ban travel from countries where the virus has been reported.

But the proposal has met with opposition from Williams, who is seeking a congressional seat in Dallas.

Williams suggested that in the case of Dallas a single case of Ebola did not justify a travel ban from Africa.

The Liberian head of Dallas African Charities, Limerick Willie, said that with Duncan's case the U.S. should instead take the lead in finding a cure for Ebola to help African countries.

"The best thing is to mobilize resources to contain the epidemic in West Africa," said Willie, who has made Texas his home for decades.

TagsThomas Eric Duncan, Ebola patient, Eric Williams