Ebola is the new SARS.  In 2002 SARS was according to the news media “ravaging Asia.”  By the time it was finished 700 people had died.  And we moved on to other crises. But I saved the book as exhibit one in the cautionary tale.

First you need some perspective.  SARS killed 700 people worldwide.  Swimming pools kill 3000 people every year in the USA.  Ebola has already killed 4000 people worldwide.  More people than that die every month in car accidents in the USA.  Where is the media fuss?

I suspect that we have a primal need to be afraid and the media and other opinion leaders are giving us what we want.  It is probably the same reason we flock to Space Invader and Apocalypse movies.

Plagues have historically been particularly scary and most nations have built public health institutions to try and hold them at bay.  It is working.  Epidemics are well controlled generally and I predict that the Ebola Scare will fade away just like SARS did.

I’m going to spend my worrying energy on the danger of Halloween candy which we were warned about in 2009 at the CDC Conference on Obesity.

And you should buy the book about Ebola and save it.  You’ll be ready to help abate the next plague fear.