[KarlInOhio]

For those who hate over excerpted articles and don't mind spoilers, the thing the author fears most is a deadly, highly contagious flu like the Spanish Flu from 1918.

[Balding_Eagle]

Thanks, a poster who respected his audience would have included that in the except, or at least post #1,

[HiTech RedNeck]

That would probably spread a lot worse than Ebola would.

[chajin]

the thing the author fears most is a deadly, highly contagious flu like the Spanish Flu from 1918.

In the year of 1918, man faced a mighty disease...

[exDemMom]

For those who hate over excerpted articles and don't mind spoilers, the thing the author fears most is a deadly, highly contagious flu like the Spanish Flu from 1918.

Thanks for the summary, I didn't want to go to the link.

Influenza is quite alarming--it only takes a few mutations for H5N1 or H7N9 to infect the upper respiratory system where they will become airborne. MERS, at the moment, seems not very contagious, but it is very much like a cold virus and we don't know enough about it to know what might make it more contagious. These are all quite deadly... while Ebola is dramatic, it does not have the potential to cause widespread death that the respiratory viruses have.

[Shelayne]

For those who hate over excerpted articles and don't mind spoilers, the thing the author fears most is a deadly, highly contagious flu like the Spanish Flu from 1918.

That was not my take at all. It wasn't the Spanish flu or Ebola in and of itself, it was the collapse of medical infrastructure due to healthcare workers saying, "Thanks, but I think I'll sit this one out."

[abner]

Thanks for that.

[cycjec]

another stellar quote:

a hypothetical colloquy; Dr. P has just assured his
questioner that his staff is very well trained.

Q: Will your staff show up?

A: That, I don’t know