Every now and then, I think the world goes into sleep mode.
In 1976 a relatively minor outbreak of a new disease called Ebola terrified the
world and for a time became the top news story. The mortality rate of the
disease and the ease, with which it could spread, was simply beyond the scope
of anything since the Dark Age’s plagues. That outbreak was contained
relatively quickly because of the remoteness of the victims and a worldwide
focus on the potential of calamitous consequences.
Recently, another outbreak
has occurred in sub-Saharan Africa with little worldwide attention and two
significant differences from the first incident. The first is that to date
eight cases have been identified in areas outside the outbreak (including
Europe); the second is that the outbreak has already spread to the capital city
of Conakry in Guinea. It is hard to imagine a better breeding ground for
biological disaster than a third world city where death from Ebola is more
likely to be attributed to demons and witchcraft than the reality of hand to
hand transfer of a deadly disease.
The US news media is only just now paying
attention, but on the whole, the world has remained in sleep mode with
attention focused on global political concerns and other issues apparently more
interesting or pressing than a potential Holocaust emanating from Western
Africa.
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