If you’ve been living under a rock for the last two weeks, I’ll be the first to announce: Ebola is trending! Now I’m not just talking about trending on social media like Twitter and FaceBook where the hashtag #Ebola stays the same no matter what posting language is utilized. The virus has become a main topic of news stories on news sites and rumor blogs. With the airports beginning to conduct screenings on passengers, #Ebola looks to be a focus of our attention for some time to come.
I had planned to screen-cap some tweets and post them as samples of what people were tweeting, but the emotion is almost palpable, so I scrapped that idea. I’ll also steer clear of posting heartbreaking photos of suffering people, though they are easily found in a Google search … yuck!
Like most people who are touched by the suffering of others, this situation has definitely caused me to reflect about the brevity of life and what’s really important. I have friends and family living in various places around the world, and my concern for them has definitely increased. I’m also concerned about my elderly mother and mother-in-law. Because my mother-in-law lives in a facility with more than 100 others, in the event the virus spreads, I know her exposure would escalate. My mother requires regular blood screenings at her local hospital, and that could also increase exposure. Continue reading “Viral Spiral?”