Ebola causes a severe disease with fever, rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, and sometimes internal and/or external bleeding. It kills about half of patients. Humans are first exposed to the virus from contact with bats or other infected animals. Once a person is infected, they can transmit the virus directly to other people via bodily secretions. All … Continue reading Ebola is back–10 things you need to know
With headlines like these: First diagnosed case of Ebola in the U.S. As Ebola confirmed in the U.S., CDC vows: ‘We’re stopping it in its tracks’ Government confirms first case of Ebola in U.S. There has been a resurgence of fright over the Ebola epidemic on social media. So, is it now time to panic?
Earlier this month, Facebook and Twitter were loaded with posts like this one from Donald Trump: There was immediate and wide-spread panic among U.S. citizens, perpetuated by reports like this, and this. At first, I too, was alarmed at the thought of bringing such a deadly disease to America. Then I thought about the virus … Continue reading The Ebola Frenzy
It is estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions every day–that’s about 32 decisions per waking minute or one every two seconds. Whether you hem and haw or make an unconscious choice, one element of the decision making process is the calculation of risk.
It has recently come to my attention that a lot of people out there are reading (or re-reading) Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone as a reference because of the current Ebola outbreak. I was shocked to hear this because I remember swiftly flipping the pages of this enthralling novel in high school. Yes, you read … Continue reading The “Not” Zone