Search #Ebola on Instagram or Twitter. For every one post you find of actual news alerts, updates, or helpful information, there are three posts to match it with jokes and cruel comments about the fatal disease. This epidemic has taken the lives of roughly 3,439 people (only counting the victims of the most recent outbreak) according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This disease has been wrecking the lives of billions in countries like Africa for decades. Now that the disease threatens American lives, it has become a social media sensation.

Jokes centered around Ebola and the symptoms it causes disgusts others, as well as me. If it is unacceptable to joke around about topics like cancer and AIDS, then we should not be taking yet another deadly disease, that could be arguably worse than others, as lighthearted as we are. Considering that no one is 100% safe from the risk of catching Ebola, these jokes could only haunt us later on if it spreads further into America. I hope that everyone around the world can open their eyes to post sympathy and prayers instead of tasteless remarks at the cost of a few “likes” or “retweets”.