I probably am daft Pomhat but thanks! As posted it could mutate to become airborne but it hasn't and is not likely to ............ and yest everything must be communicated to the lowest common denominator.
The panic industry has sadly started with some looking for so called "ebola stocks" others asking for $195 just to listen to a webinar. At the same time, tabloid journalists are experts at getting the punters wound up about it.
I look a the graphs and for the moment they indicate a steep, largely linear increase in the 3 affected counties. If we go to an arguably tabloid(ish) news outlet like Sky take a close look at the graph behind the commentators. Others are using the same graph.
Stats should be increasing exponentially due to early under reporting but for the moment they appear linear in Liberia, on a down trend in Guinea and on a mild (yes exponential) uplift in Sierra Leone. Importantly there is no significant reported outbreak in Nigeria (where response capacity is better) or in other surrounding countries. My definition of exponential graph is a line bending upwards and in these circumstances it would need to be bending upwards in all three countries.
It may be reasonable to assume about 12,000 deaths in the affected countries so far and it will get worse ...... far worse ..... in the affected countries and that there will be a spill over affect into surrounding countries which is not good news BUT there is potential capacity to deal with that when it happens. The tabloids will of course focus on a few sporadic cases of infection and re-infection across the globe [and of course some tens of US military personnel that will inevitably be infected] and pay far less attention to the tens of thousands of Africans who will die from the virus.
The situation is not good and three basket case economies need immediate life support BUT there is no evidence that this will lead to a global pandemic.
