Ed Regis

Ed Regis, a former professor of philosophy, is a science writer whose books include Who Got Einstein’s Office? and Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition. The following viewpoint is excerpted from his book Virus Ground Zero: Stalking the Killer Viruses with the Centers for Disease Control. Regis argues that the threat viruses pose to humanity has been overstated. Public anxiety over viral outbreaks, he asserts, are ironic in light of the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been highly successful in identifying the causes of mysterious illnesses and in controlling outbreaks of disease. He declares that the widely feared African hemorrhagic fever viruses, such as Lassa and Ebola, have killed few people and can be easily stopped from spreading.

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