Sacramento Church Deals With Stigma Of Ebola

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Two people in Sacramento are being monitored for the Ebola virus, even though they show no symptoms of the disease.

The move was prompted because they traveled from a part of west Africa labeled as an Ebola hotspot, though it raises concerns about an Ebola stigma.

Sacramento pastor Tim Wulah's Liberian Community Church is on the frontlines of the facts and fears of the Ebola outbreak. He's collecting medical supplies.

County health officials met with his congregation on Wednesday to discuss new Centers For Disease Control and Prevention protocols for people visiting from west Africa. That includes 21-day monitoring of travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Sacramento County is monitoring two recent travelers who show no symptoms as a precaution.

But Pastor Wulah says besides the caution, he's also seeing an emerging stigma targeting his liberian community. He was recently disinvited to another church's prayer session .

"They're not comfortable with me showing up," he said.

And then there was the strange phone call he received last week.

"This person called me to find out, cause they said it's the African church, that's where they got all the ebola folks, is it true? so I laughed, but the person was serious," he said.

A hotline to help educate the public has been established at (855) 421-5921. Operators are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.