Or is the Zika Crisis being deliberately downplayed? Its hard to tell without real statistics, which I have absolutely none of. But I get the feeling that the possibility of a Zika epidemic is not receiving the same breathless attention Ebola was. And remember, Ebola was never considered a big health problem in the US by our health authorities, but as you point out, that didn't stop it from being manipulated into a big issue.

I know I'm an overly suspicious cuss, but could it possibly be that a real Zika outbreak in the US, or even a perceived Zika epidemic, would lead to a substantially increased demand for abortions? And that could spell big trouble for a political party determined to frustrate or even reverse women's choice rights, and which relies on that heavily in its political calculations.

Remember the thalidomide scare? That did not have the culture war or political implications of Zika, but the prospect of thousands of cases of highly-visible microcephaly across the population would have a profound effect on voters. Right now, the Zika situation in Brazil is not being well-publicized, and is not very well documented or even understood, but with the Olympics getting underway, and with all the international travel we can expect to that country, this could really become a big issue. The press would push it, because it sells papers. But there would be a lot of pressure to downplay the story, too, with an election coming up in November. Talk about an October Surprise...

How ya doin', Marshal Mcluhan? Welcome to the global village.