The Ebola Virus

The word "Ebola" has become commonplace in our lives today. Today, many people around the world have some knowledge about what the Ebola virus is about. It has taken the world by storm. It has undermined the United Nation and relevant authorities' ability to foresee that a rather isolated virus originating from the rural areas of West Africa could have so easily and even successfully spread to large chunks of the region. Today, we even see citizens of countries faraway from the zone of crisis contracting the disease. This pandemic has so far claimed more than 5000 lives worldwide. Of course, the pressing need of tackling this disease is omnipresent today. The United States has generously forked out almost 1 billion dollars, China has willingly brought in their aid workers and many more nations has followed suit.

Nonetheless, in the midst of all the hype and attention on the Ebola virus itself, I think we should also sit down and think about whether the fight against Ebola has been sufficient and appropriate. Governments around the world are spending billions if not trillions on military spending. Though there are signs of nations cutting down on military spending, the amount of military spending actually dwarfs that of the amount poured in to resolve the Ebola crisis. Statistically, the U.S. spent close to $700 billion on the military annually. In contrast, foreign aid for things like public health where we part with just $19 billion. We can see that military spending completely dwarfs that of public health spending, which in my opinion should receive a far greater amount of attention. Living in a very much volatile world today, we do understand where governments are coming from. The insane amount of military money committed by international governments are all in the namesake of defending their precious homeland.

Should there be a re-balance?

I would like to hear from you! :)

~My Opinion