From the sucker born every minute files
by digby
Fergawdsakes. People are stocking up on “Ebola” survival gear:
“I really can’t see that that’s an appropriate or reasonable response,” Arthur Reingold, Head of Epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley, told The Huffington Post. “It’s reasonable for people to be concerned, though I would argue they should be more concerned about the dreadful situation in West Africa.”
“The fact is we don’t have transmission on the Ebola virus here in the community,” Reingold said. “I just can’t see why anybody would want to spend money on those kinds of things in response to concern about Ebola.”
Nonetheless, fears about the spread of Ebola have led to a spike in sales of disease protection supplies. LifeSecure, a Chicago-based emergency preparedness company, has sold more than 100 “Extended Infection Protection” emergency supply kits since officials confirmed the first case of Ebola in the U.S. last week, according to owner David Scott. Typically, LifeSecure sells just a handful of such kits per week.
“People are being reminded that there is a chance something that’s on another continent can make it here in one flight,” Scott told HuffPost. “Sooner or later, these kinds of supplies will have to be used generally by the entire population.”
Government officials and health experts say such an outbreak is extremely unlikely. But Bloomberg News reported that LifeSecure’s infection kits, along with simpler items like preparedness books and surgical masks, have been flying off the shelves.
Survivalists or “doomsday preppers” are also selling advice. For $2.99, Kindle owners can own “Ebola: Natural Remedies + Government Conspiracies,” an e-book published Sept. 4 that accuses the U.S. and the CDC of knowingly allowing the deadly virus to come to America. (In August, two Americans infected abroad had been brought home so they could recover in American hospitals.)
I guess e can officially call the virus a “job creator” now. Somebody’s making money off of it anyway.
Luckily only tens of millions of Americans are really worried about getting Ebola so that’s reassuring.
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