The world’s news agencies, taking a breather from the horrors of the Middle East, have now turned their attention to the threat of the deadly Ebola virus, previously confined to West Africa, but now, so the experts say, a very real danger to all of us, wherever we may live.

It seems to be a particularly horrible and nasty virus with an equally horrible and nasty means of death to match. There is much concern in the USA, from where I am writing these notes, and that concern at times, judging by the extensive and endless media coverage, appears to be bordering on hysteria.

Sometimes I wonder how bad these things really are. Remember the herpes scare in the 1970s, the aids scare of the 1980s and the near paranoia a few years back over the predictions of a repeat of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic which killed millions world-wide?

I’m sure the experts know what they are talking about and their concerns are no doubt valid but if the virus spreads at the same rate as the panic I reckon my planned return to the UK, in a few days’ time, is looking increasingly doubtful!