Amid another Ebola outbreak, hundreds of Africans are sick, displaced, fearful, or dead. Health care workers across Central Africa are once again caring for patients in overstretched hospitals with limited supplies, uncertain staffing, and enormous personal risk. Yet, as has happened before, the story has suddenly become about an American — in this case, a missionary and physician who became infected.

His suffering matters. But it’s frustrating to watch public attention during Ebola outbreaks gravitate toward the Western aid workers who become infected, while the local health care workers who sustain the response under far more difficult conditions receive far less recognition. Many work longer, with fewer resources and greater personal risk, yet their suffering remains largely invisible beyond the communities they serve.

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