Ebola has killed thousands of human beings. It is an immensely serious threat, and public health agencies should do everything possible to contain this outbreak on an international scale. Pretending we’re immune to situations that affect the rest of the world — especially poorer parts of the world — is exactly what brought us to this point.
Nevertheless, it’s also true that the media loves scaring the hell out of everybody. SARS, swine flu, avian flu and other would-be pandemics all got similar 24/7 cable coverage, and most of the human race is still around. Panic isn’t going to help anyone except for CNN’s advertising executives.
Related: Should We Be Scared That Ebola Has Been Diagnosed In The U.S.?
So, while we’re all monitoring the story and nobody can predict the future, it’s not advisable to calm your nerves by guzzling booze, chain-smoking cigarettes and scarfing down butter-drenched comfort food. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent data from 2011, Americans currently have a greater chance of dying from…
1. Coronary artery disease (375,295 deaths)
2. Hypertensive heart disease (33,621 deaths)
3. Salmonella infections (44 deaths)
4. Viral hepatitis (7,850 deaths)
5. Tuberculosis (539 deaths)
6. Scarlet fever and erysipelas (4 deaths)
7. Meningococcal infection (86 deaths)
8. Septicemia (35,748 deaths)
9. Syphilis (45 deaths)
10. Arthropod-borne viral encephalitis (5 deaths)
11. HIV (7,683 deaths)
12. Malaria (3 deaths)
13. Unspecified infectious and parasitic diseases (5,753 deaths)
14. Cancer of lip, oral cavity and pharynx (8,657 deaths)
15. Cancer of esophagus (14,446 deaths)
16. Cancer of stomach (11,036 deaths)
17. Cancer of colon, rectum and anus (52,287 deaths)
18. Cancer of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts (21,608 deaths)
19. Cancer of pancreas (37,344 deaths)
20. Cancer of larynx (3,732 deaths)
21. Cancer of trachea, bronchus and lung (157,017 deaths)
22. Cancer of breast (41,374 deaths)
23. Cancer of cervix uteri (4,092 deaths)
24. Cancer of corpus uteri and uterus (8,641 deaths)
25. Cancer of ovary (14,346 deaths)
26. Cancer of prostate (27,970 deaths)
27. Cancer of kidney and renal pelvis (13,559 deaths)
28. Cancer of bladder (15,014 deaths)
29. Cancer of meninges, brain and other parts of central nervous system (14,491 deaths)
30. Malignant melanoma of skin (9,128 deaths)
31. Hodgkin’s disease (1,168 deaths)
32. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (20,317 deaths)
33. Leukemia (23,064 deaths)
34. Multiple myeloma and immunoproliferative neoplasms (11,847 deaths)
35. Other and unspecified malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue (82 deaths)
36. All other and unspecified malignant neoplasms (65,471 deaths)
37. In situ, benign and uncertain/unknown neoplasms (14,997 deaths)
38. Shigellosis and amebiasis (8 deaths)
39. Unspecified intestinal infections (11,043 deaths)
40. Anemias (4,988 deaths)
41. Diabetes mellitus (73,831 deaths)
42. Nutritional deficiencies (3,191 deaths)
43. Meningitis (611 deaths)
44. Parkinson’s disease (23,111 deaths)
45. Alzheimer’s disease (84,974 deaths)
46. Acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart diseases (3,105 deaths)
47. Acute and subacute endocarditis (1,171 deaths)
48. Diseases of pericardium and acute myocarditis (817 deaths)
49. Heart failure (58,309 deaths)
50. All other forms of heart disease (120,610 deaths)
51. Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (27,853 deaths)
52. Cerebrovascular diseases (128,932 deaths)
53. Atherosclerosis (6,945 deaths)
54. Other disorders of circulatory system (4,366 deaths)
55. Influenza (1,532 deaths)
56. Pneumonia (52,294 deaths)
57. Acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis (214 deaths)
58. Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections (33 deaths)
59. Bronchitis, chronic and unspecified (619 deaths)
60. Emphysema (9,352 deaths)
61. Asthma (3,345 deaths)
62. Other chronic lower respiratory diseases (129,627 deaths)
63. Pneumoconioses and chemical effects (773 deaths)
64. Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids (18,195 deaths)
65. Other diseases of respiratory system (32,758 deaths)
66. Peptic ulcer (2,995 deaths)
67. Diseases of appendix (387 deaths)
68. Hernia (1,915 deaths)
69. Alcoholic liver disease (16,749 deaths)
70. Other chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (16,893 deaths)
71. Cholelithiasis and other disorders of gallbladder (3,373 deaths)
72. Acute and rapidly progressive nephritic and nephrotic syndrome (337 deaths)
73. Chronic glomerulonephritis, nephritis and nephropathy not specified as acute or chronic, and renal sclerosis unspecified (337 deaths)
74. Renal failure (44,893 deaths)
75. Other disorders of kidney (24 deaths)
76. Infections of kidney (658 deaths)
77. Hyperplasia of prostate (521 deaths)
78. Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs (133 deaths)
79. Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (931 deaths)
80. Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (12,036 deaths)
81. Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (9,702 deaths)
82. Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (40,184 deaths)
83. Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile (8,085 deaths)
84. All other diseases (289,913 deaths)
85. Motor vehicle accidents (35,303 deaths)
86. Other land transport accidents (950 deaths)
87. Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents (1,770 deaths)
88. Accidental discharge of firearms (591 deaths)
89. Accidental drowning and submersion (3,556 deaths)
90. Accidental exposure to smoke, fire and flames (2,746 deaths)
91. Accidental poisoning and exposure to noxious substances (36,280 deaths)
92. Other and unspecified nontransport accidents (17,759 deaths)
93. Assault (16,238 deaths)
94. Operations of war (5 deaths)
95. Drug-induced causes (43,544 deaths)
96. Alcohol-induced causes (26,654 deaths)
97. Intervention caused by police and other persons with legal authority to use deadly force, excluding legal executions (492 deaths)
98. Complications of medical and surgical care (2,584 deaths)
99. Falls (27,483 deaths)
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