The following editorial and opinion pieces address various aspects of the Ebola epidemic.

The Lancet: National armies for global health?
“October 2014 has seen unprecedented deployment of both U.S. and British military personnel to support the efforts in West Africa against the Ebola crisis. … As the DoD has recognized, the security of one nation’s citizens is inextricably linked to others through both global health and climate change. Therefore, the military seem set to play a greater part in global civilian health in the future. The question is what should this role look like in the 21st century?” (10/25).

Washington Post: The case for suspending U.S. visas in Ebola-affected countries
Michael Chertoff, former secretary of homeland security and co-founder and executive chair of the Chertoff Group

“…[A]fter the mishandling of the few cases we have had [in the U.S.] — including allowing an infected nurse to travel by air — we are close to a crisis of confidence. A few more bungles and we will see significant numbers of people canceling trips, closing schools, and staying home from work. The essence of effective public crisis management is bold and aggressive action demonstrating that leaders are in control of events, not reacting in a halting and belated fashion. Targeted visa suspension is one of several steps urgently needed” (10/26).

Forbes: Despite World Panic, The Rate Of New Ebola Infections Is Already Slowing Down
Michael Fumento, attorney and journalist

“…Time and again beginning with AIDS, both [the CDC and WHO] have grossly exaggerated disease outbreaks. That includes Ebola twice before, SARS, avian flu, swine flu, and Mideast Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). I debunked most of those at the time, but the health agencies know that nothing they ever pipe will be so outrageous that the mainstream media won’t dance to their tune. Meanwhile, endemic diseases that don’t make headlines, like tuberculosis, malaria, and infectious childhood diarrhea, each kill more people every two days than have died of Ebola in 28 years. Sadly, the CDC and WHO have spent decades crying about monsters in the closet, distracting us from the very real ones in our midst” (10/23).

The Atlantic: 21 Days
James Hamblin, senior editor at The Atlantic

“…What follows is a condensed transcript of [a] conversation last week in Washington, D.C., [with Dr. Steven Hatfill, a researcher and adjunct assistant professor at George Washington University School of Medicine, who was also a ‘person of interest’ in the FBI’s investigation of U.S. anthrax cases in 2001.] It’s still long, but I decided to err on the side of including information. His message is, again, not intended to panic, but to provoke nuanced evaluation of the scientific evidence around Ebola transmission, and whether or not we are truly prepared for the inevitable viral outbreaks of the future…” (10/26).