Ebola threat ’no less than terrifying’

Fear, panic and denial are the lethal hallmarks of the response to the worst Ebola outbreak in decades. Without global action,its deadly march could even reach Europe, writes Michael Clifford.

IN THE developed world, the spread of a fatal contagious disease is the stuff of Hollywood and history. There have been occasions when a virus has engendered panic in wide swathes of the population. The urban legends that grew up around HIV in the 1980s, and into the following decade, are legion. Some were even true.

Infection came through contact with bodily fluid, including blood and saliva. Casual sex was the first casualty, but in the early years in particular, everybody from health workers to football players reached for the panic button at the mere sight of blood. Those years have passed.