Out of Africa

The world becomes an ever smaller
place, Africa less distant but no less
legendary and appealing in its vast natural
resources, its tribal peoples, its exotic wild
animals and rare and beautiful plants
even while lethally dread diseases prevail
as pathogens in their humidly hospitable
surroundings multiply and morph into
ever more deadly forms responding to
scientific formulations meant to cure and
to inoculate against their reign of terror.
Out of Africa came HIV/AIDs from
simian autoimmunodeficiency virus to
mercilessly level the ranks of the hapless
infected recognized in the West for its
killer status as it tore through terrified
populations. In Africa identified as a
scourge that whites inflicted on blacks.
Out of Africa comes Ebola another deadly
affliction to which the world body of
medical science responded with swift
efficiency to formulate healing drugs to
rescue the infected from the brink of
death. African tribes people afflicted
with diseases of lethal intent identify
them as deliberate infections spread by
health practitioners whose diabolical
plan is to annihilate Africans inciting
them to aid themselves by destroying
the equipment, drugs and volunteers
risking all to stem the tide of disaster.