What I was pointing out was how they are being handled differently in the political arena. Ebola was used as a weapon against the Obama administration, as if his alleged incompetence in dealing with it was going to threaten the entire country. Of course, the epidemic fizzled out on its own, just as the medical authorities predicted, because it was attacked at its source, in Africa.

But I predict that if Zika does become a serious problem it is inevitable that a major treatment option will be abortion of potentially infected fetuses. How this plays out in places like Texas or the Deep South, where the Aedes mosquito and anti-abortion sentiment is common, is going to have profound political implications. Whether or not it does become a problem, or if there is a sudden upsurge in demand for abortions in states where they are strongly discouraged is simply speculation on my part. But we live in a society that even politicizes its public health priorities (Remember AIDS?)