Instead of Ebola, Worry About the Flu

On Monday, I was dispatched to East Stroudsburg's Pocono Medical Center because U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa) was scheduled to be there for a tour of the facility and a discussion of the Ebola threat. My news account was picked up by The Times News. I believe we need to be a tad more worried about the flu threat.

Senator Casey stressed that this is "no time for politics." Though he believes we need to invest more into the NIH and the Hospital Preparedness Program, he went to great lengths to make clear that both parties have cut finding over the years.

Why do I say we need to be more worried about the flu? Only one person has died from Ebola inside the United States. Outside of West Africa, only 17 people have been infected worldwide. But this year alone, Pocono Medical Center's Dr. Susheer Gandotra predicts that as many as 50,000 people will die from the flu. This will happen even though we all can get a shot.