Minister Louis Farrakhan wrote in The Final Call that the Ebola virus is part of a depopulation effort by the U.S. government, and that the virus has been designed to target those with African genes. Farrakhan called Ebola and AIDS "race-targeting weapons" and continued on to write, "There is a weapon that can be put in a room where there are Black and White people, and it will kill only the Black and spare the White, because it is a genotype weapon that is designed for your genes, for your race, for your kind."
A meme of nurse "Ebola-Chan, a drawing of a white woman with hair made of strands of the Ebola virus holding a bloody skull, made its debut on 4chan chat boards around Aug. 7," according to knowourmeme.com. Some commenting on the boards have turned the anime character into a symbol, according to International Business Times, and some users expressed hope that "people will start to spread the word that Ebola might be beign spreaded [sic] by the white devil."
The meme has been seen on Nairaland, a Nigerian forum. A user who goes by the name "johnokonkwo" wrote, "Apparently even some Ebola doctors are part of the cult and instead of treating the disease are deliberately spreading it. I even heard rumour that they eat the heart of victims because they think it grants magical protection though I don't know if that's true."
Farrakhan and internet trolls are not the only conspiracy theorists. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a Delaware State University professor "wrote a letter to a Liberian newspaper alleging the U.S. military and pharmaceutical companies created Ebola and are intentionally spreading the deadly disease in Africa."
Reuters reported in June that fear of doctors and treatments offered were already brewing in Ebola stricken countries, and reports of mistrust are current. "Rumors are rife that Western aid workers are importing Ebola, stealing bodies or even deliberately infecting patients," reported USA Today. "Winning trust is made harder by a full suit of hood, goggles, mask and gown that hides their faces."
