We barely finished the Hantavirus scare before Ebola arrived on the scene, along with fears that it will spread far and wide.
It’s a real virus and a wicked killer, to be sure. There is also zero chance that it can mutate into a pandemic. Why? It has a higher case fatality rate, one that actually limits its spread. A spreadable virus cannot kill its host. Only unsuccessful viruses do that.
That’s how the logic of these pathogens operates. There is a tradeoff between severity and prevalence. Incubation rates can adjust that dynamic somewhat but Ebola shows fast symptoms, which is why it is usually contained. That also makes contact tracing easier.
These days every infection that gets media attention generates public fear of both the medical and political response. What if they attempt another lockdown-until-vaccinate plot? We might swear not to comply but what if we are debanked, censored, and shamed?
In short, how powerful are the combined forces of media, public health officials, and governments? Is there anything we can do to stop them?
For all the world, it feels these days like someone is up to something. The World Health Organization never misses a chance to spread fear. The role of Brownstone Institute is to do the opposite: spread calm through logic, experience, and the actual science instead of the counterfeit form.