Comment There are two problems here: halting Ebola & f (Score 1) 384
Ebola is a real issue that must be address. It is growing exponentially, and the epidemic must be controlled and halted by an international cooperation before it either becomes a) endemic or b) pandemic.
People are scared by the very real numbers alone, the mere mention of those numbers, and the uncertainty of the statistics themselves, in part because they don't understand 1st) probability and 2nd) medicine.
When you point out that we shouldn't have to worry for at least another year, and that along the way there will be clear signs as to whether the situation is getting better or is worsening, giving us time to prepare, then they freak out even more, when it should actually satiate their fear, because it proves their fear of a slight chance of immediate threat is misplaced. It's as if a longer range perspective where we have time to watch and judge and plan makes them feel like the inevitability of an approaching disaster is more certain, when it's not.