Ghanaian actor, Van Vicker has described as “rubbish”,
reports that he has been diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus. He is
threatening to take legal action against the publishers as well as those who
fueled the false story.
News went viral Tuesday, that the award winning actor was
infected with Ebola in Liberia where he was shooting the movie, 'Bendu Sudan.'
The story also added that Ghana's Foreign Ministry had barred the actor from
returning to Ghana.
Speaking in an interview with Myjoyonline.com, Van Vicker,
who said he is currently in Ghana, said he heard the story around 8am Tuesday.
He said his first reaction was “what rubbish is that. I
didn't take it seriously myself. I just thought it was one of those Facebook
things like what they did to me I think about a year ago when they said I was
going to church in Nigeria and I had an accident and I was bleeding to dead.”
“So I thought it was a Facebook thing only to realize that
it was actually on a website and it was a story which other websites or
bloggers picked up and the whole thing just went out of proportion.
“Then it dawned on me how serious this story is getting and
how it could affect my career and family,” the actor added.
Van Vicker stressed that publishers of the story did not
contact him and he has also not also granted any interview “to anyone with
regards to Ebola, Liberia or my 'Bendu Sudan' shoot.”
According to him, his wife and kids were visibly traumatized
by the story: “My wife was just trying to be strong and getting hysterical
because she was getting calls, I was getting phone calls. It was just very
disturbing.”
Considering the effects the story could have on his family,
especially his kids, “Last night we had to sit our kids down and speak to them
about the story letting them know that it is not true just in case they get to
school and people want to tease them or stay away from them because [their]
father is infected possibly the kids could also be infected so we had to let them
know the story is not true.”
Van Vicker disclosed that he has begun the process the take
legal action against publishers of the story.
“I got off the line with my lawyer and she is looking at the
possibility of suing whoever it is or the person behind it. We are just trying
to get the source. For starters we know where the story broke out.”
The legal action he hopes, will deter others from publishing
false stories about him.
“Yes we are in discussion to suing them just to send a
signal out to all those who have been writing such bogus stories with no proof
or whatsoever that they should put a stop to it because this unprofessional
journalism is undue,” he stressed. The legal process, the actor added, will
commence in a day or two.
Van Vicker said he had to abandon an initial plan to shoot
part of his movie in Liberia in August after the Ebola menace aggravated. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest
Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela)
