It’s (not) just words: The deadly power of language as Kenya faced US’s Ebola plan

A protest over a planned Ebola facility in Kenya shows how weak health communication can fuel fear, mistrust and violence.

Photo credit: John Nyaga | Nation Media Group

The mid-week deaths of two people during public protests outside Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, Central Kenya, highlight that in public communication, language can be as deadly as the disease itself because it clarifies the message’s importance.

The crowds marched against a planned American health facility designed to treat and quarantine US citizens infected by the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.