Jennifer Lawrence, Mockingjay co-stars combat Ebola ignorance in PSA
Video urges viewers to stop worrying about getting the virus in North America
Jennifer Lawrence and a host of her Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 film co-stars are appealing to Americans in a new video public service announcement that aims to clarify information about the Ebola virus.
In the video, posted Monday and titled "ESF #MisinformationHack," urges viewers to stop worrying about getting the virus in North America, and focus on the persistent problems West Africa that are fuelling the deadly virus's spread.
- On mobile? Watch the video here
"In some parts of West Africa, only two out of 10 people afflicted with Ebola have survived," warns actor Mahershala Ali in the clip.
"Why?" Jennifer Lawrence asks. "[Because,] people infected by the Ebola virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone don't have access to the same medical treatment as Americans," explain actors Liam Hemsworth and Julianne Moore.
The video also points out that 100 per cent of infected Americans treated in U.S. hospitals have survived.
"What would happen if you got Ebola?" Josh Hutcherson asks Lawrence.
"I’d be fine," the 24-year-old responds.
"We’ve got a lot of doctors," adds Hutcherson.
Ebola Survival Fund
Actor Jefferey Wright, who plays Beetee in the blockbuster sci-fi franchise, produced the video for the Ebola Survival Fund. It was his passion for fighting the deadly outbreak that inspired him to recruit his famous friends.
On Tuesday, a health worker who was the first person diagnosed with Ebola in Britain arrived at a London hospital from Scotland early on for treatment after contracting the disease in West Africa.
The World Health Organization said on Monday that the number of people infected by Ebola in the three West African countries worst affected by the outbreak had passed 20,000, with more than 7,842 deaths.
With files from Reuters