Rapper pens song about Ebola outbreak to raise awareness

MONROVIA, Liberia, Aug. 21 (UPI) —

A Liberian rap artist has penned a song about Ebola as part of an educational campaign to raise awareness about the deadly disease affecting Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

Charles Yegba admits he originally doubted the existence of Ebola. "I thought it was a lie (invented) to collect money because at that moment I hadn’t seen people affected in my community."

But that viewpoint changed when he encountered a man in Monrovia lying in the street with symptoms of Ebola.

"At that moment, I started to believe. I began to see that other countries were being affected, that many people were starting to change their minds."

The World Health Organization has emphasized the need for everyone, especially those living in the West African countries affected by this outbreak, to educate themselves about the symptoms of Ebola, transmission risks, and precautions to take with suspected infection.

"Take away the fear, don’t hide yourself. People can still survive from Ebola," reads a line from Yegba’s song.

Although Ebola is known to typically kill 90 percent of infected people, the West Africa outbreak has shown a higher survival rate at 47 percent. WHO says this outbreak’s "survival rate has been higher than previous outbreaks."

"Please go to the hospital," one lyric implores, if you are experiencing fever, headache, diarrhea, or vomiting.