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11/24/2024 06:50:05 pm

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Ebola-Inspired Halloween Décor Scares in Dallas; Safety Suit Could Become ‘Viral’ Costume of the Year

Ebola suits

(Photo : REUTERS)

Halloween is about ghouls, witches, zombies, and other scary things. Since the Ebola virus is not only the headline of many dailies, but has also scared a lot of U.S. residents, Dallas resident James Faulk decorated his front yard in University Park with an Ebola-themed display.

Faulk wore a white Ebola containment suit, which made the scene eerily resemble the situation at the Dallas apartment where Thomas Eric Duncan, the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the U.S. who later died, stayed. Faulk told Associated Press that he is aware his Ebola-themed décor could generate negative responses, but he insisted that he is doing it "in good fun."

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He started to decorate his home on Sunday with the intention of scaring people, which is what the Halloween tradition is all about. But to ensure that he is sending also the message that he is just having fun like everyone else, Faulk posted a banner that reads "Happy Halloween."

One of those who are against the use of Ebola-themed costumes and decorations for the Halloween holiday is Maria McKenna, a physician's assistant in Philadelphia who has helped care for a 26-year-old Dallas nurse diagnosed with the virus after she assisted in caring for Duncan.

"Normally I think that irony and humor is funny, but this thing with the costumes, is it really that funny? I mean, Ebola's not even under control yet," she told WITN in a phone call.

Halloween partygoers need not look for hazmat suits and respirators because some of the outfit rental stores may still have stacks of yellow jumpsuits, rubbers gloves, and masks from 2013's "Breaking Bad" craze. Some sellers think these items could be recycled for an instant Ebola-themed look.

Richard Parrott, president of Ricky's NYC which sells the "Breaking Bad" outfit confirmed that customers "are definitely asking about an Ebola-type costume."

Jill Grover, a neighbor of Faulk and whose children study at the high school across Faulk's house, thought the virus had indeed hit the community, but she dismissed the thought after she noticed the lack of health workers in the vicinity.

According to Steve Mace, the spokesman of University Park, the police got one call about Faulk's house, which led a cop to drive by and check. However, the officer who drove by pointed out that Faulk did not break any law with his scary and controversial Ebola-themed Halloween décor.

Moreover, it wouldn't hurt to buy an Ebola containment costume for Halloween because the owner could use it in case the deadly virus actually hits the neighborhood.

BrandsOnSale, a costume seller, offers an Ebola Containment Suit Costume for $79.99. It includes a white suit with the words "Ebola," a face shield, breathing mask, safety goggles, and blue latex gloves.

Jonathan Weeks, president of BrandsOnSale, said that since he launched the Ebola costume on Oct. 8, he has sold about a dozen set. The suit's online product description aptly calls the item "the most 'viral' costume of the year."

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