Monday, October 20, 2014

Ebola-C: Profiting From Fear

 




We have all been hearing about it. Nonstop. And if you're like most, you've let it get into your head. The Ebola Crisis is all over the news. Sadly many of the main details are true. The disease has ravaged West Africa, leaving over 4,000 people dead. Ebola, also known as ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF)) or simply Ebola is a disease of humans and other primates caused by ebolaviruses. The symptoms typically start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus, with a fever, sore throat, and other flu like cues. It's scary because right now the disease is not only hard to treat effectively, but also hard to contain. Under certain conditions it is extremely contagious and already a small number of cases have been detected in the US.

This blog is not meant to frighten or alarm anyone. In fact Ebola is very treatable if caught early and considering our country has the best medicine in the world, I don't think we have much to worry about. What we have come to find out however is that in the wake of almost all situations, positive or negative, someone is always trying to make a buck. Ebola-C, a vitamin supplement you can purchase online, has made prospective creator Todd Spinelli a rich man in the past 3 weeks. This is because that's how long the product has been on the market and it's made him almost $500,000 in sales! The tablet is rich full of Vitamin C, which naturally sparks a healthy person's immunity. That being said there are some claims out there that say Vitamin C is a possible remedy/combatant to the Ebola Virus. Spinelli and his constituents clearly recognized and quickly created the product to be sold soon after Ebola became a big deal in America and abroad. On one hand, it seems like a smart business decision. Maybe it is. However is it right for someone to monetarily capitalize using fear tactics? In addition let it be known that Ebola-C is not approved by the FDA nor has its claims been deemed universally or even majority deemed accurate. In one sense this businessman is making a living while on the other hand he may be adding to not the Ebola Crisis, but the Ebola Scare Crisis which is just as real as the disease itself. I want to know what you guys think: Is it ethical for this Ebola-C creator to make a product that is not only unproven to cure the disease but also to cash in greatly based on your fear level? I'm curious.


For some added confidence into why you probably shouldn't have a panic attack over all this, check out Shepard Smith's recent announcement to the American public:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2KBfynW09I












No comments:

Post a Comment