The Ebola outbreak was a serious health concern for 2014, making it one of the most talked about topics for the year. Unfortunately, a lot of the conversation about the virus did more damage than good, with some claims about Ebola collectively making it as PolitiFact's Lie of the Year for 2014.
Chosen by PolitiFact editors, the Lie of the Year is partly awarded based on how widely a falsehood affects conventional thinking. There were 16 separate claims, each rated as Pants on Fire, False or Mostly False based on the PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter. Ten of the rated claims were made in October right in the middle of media attention on Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola victim to die in the United States, and as Americans trooped to voting precincts to elect a new Congress.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but there should be a focus on sharing only the right information. Ebola must truly be taken seriously, but many of the claims made about the virus and the outbreak pushed the U.S. into a state of panic.
Some of the "Pants on Fire" claims include a Georgia congressman reporting that people were carrying diseases through the Southern border, and bloggers commenting that the Ebola outbreak began in a bioweapons lab supported by Bill Gates and George Soros.
As for "Mostly False" claims, one was when Sen. Rand Paul described the Ebola virus as "very transmissible," "easy to catch" and "incredibly contagious," while then-Sen. Mark Pryor argued that Tom Cotton, his opponent, had "voted against preparing America for pandemics like Ebola."
For "False" claims, Fox News analyst George Will made the list when he said Ebola can be spread via a cough or a sneeze, brushing aside the idea that direct contact with bodily fluids is required to cause an infection.
Ebola is not airborne so therefore it cannot be spread by coughing or sneezing. However, an infection is possible if someone with Ebola directly coughed or sneezed into someone, causing bodily fluids to permeate mucus membranes like the eyes, mouth or nose. Will should have made this distinction before blowing up a claim that a simple cough or sneeze can introduce Ebola to the general population, editors noted.
Ebola continues to rage on in West Africa with no end in sight. Clinical trials for vaccines have started but while results have been promising, a cure is beyond grasp at the moment.
