[Cold Heat]

I can’t disagree with your assessment.

Thinking about potential pandemics like a new strain of flu, which we have not had in quite a while, by it’s self would put a huge strain on the system, potentially leading to a national disaster.

No question about it.

But I don’t see Ebola causing that strain, I see much more danger in the ultra rapid spreading Flu virus or viruses of it’s type. The death rate is far lower but the damages would be far more numerically costly.

[grania]

What I see is a medical system that's becoming more fragile. A scare such as Ebola, though probably containable, could be yet another stress on it. I don't discount that its spread could become massive.

AIDS, Legionairre's Disease, and Lyme Disease are three relatively recent situations the US medical system has absorbed. There must be a limit to how many it can absorb, especially with our expanded third world population and a larger percentage of the population economically challenged.