Bay Area African Immigrants Report Unfair Treatment Over Ebola Outbreak
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- African immigrants in the Bay Area say they've experienced harassment since the Ebola outbreak became the focus of public attention in the United States.
The stigma associated with Ebola has been so harmful to African immigrants that it's even costing them jobs and income, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Thomas Muyunga said he lost his job as a home health care worker in San Francisco after his two clients feared he could be carrying Ebola because he's from Africa.
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Other immigrants reported all kinds of harassment, from children being bullied at school to business owners reporting dampened sales.
Immigrant advocacy groups and public health officials addressed these concerns at a San Francisco City Hall press conference Wednesday.
"People are associating all of us with Ebola," said Adoubou Traore, program coordinator with the African Advocacy Network in San Francisco. "The feeling of knowing people are afraid of being with you, that is not a good feeling."
Supervisor Dave Campos and others are calling for education and support instead of spreading fear of the deadly disease.