What happened to the epidemic?

A month ago, the big story was the Ebola epidemic that was knocking on America’s door, to the point that parents at one elementary school panicked over two new students who had just come from Rwanda – nowhere near the outbreak.

“After backlash from parents, those kids are being kept out of school,” said a news reporter.

The district superintendent later apologized for asking the students to stay home. Although considering some of the stuff on television, who could blame her?

“I think a little bit of paranoia is warranted.”

“U.S. Immigration should allow no one, no one.”

“We really have lost faith in all our institutions.”

But a wonderful thing happened on Tuesday. Ebola officially vanished from the United States. In New York, Dr. Craig Spencer was cured.

In Maine, Nurse Kaci Hickox, who insisted she did not have Ebola, turned out to be right. “There’s no way I could give someone Ebola by hugging my friend,” she had said.

Which means as of now, the epidemic has claimed one life in the U.S.: Eric Duncan. The two nurses who caught it from him were both cured. As were six other cases contracted in Africa. All cured.

I suppose you could conclude the hysteria worked by scaring people into not touching each other’s bodily fluids. You could also conclude this whole panic was more about the election and general ignorance than it was about Ebola.

Anyway, for now, focus has shifted to the snowstorm in the Midwest, which actually does affect the lives of millions of people, but which will not cause a media panic.

Unless somebody comes out and blames it on climate change.