Frightened By Ebola? Turn Off CNN & Get A Flu Shot

Now that CNN has done its predictable job of whipping us into a frenzy, it's time to turn off the fear-o-matic channels, stop obsessing about Ebola, and instead go get a flu shot. Yes Ebola is frightening, and Western Africa is a disaster, but consider these tidbits:

• Last flu season only 46% of American got a flu shot.
• On average more than 23,000 Americans die from the flu every season.
• Vaccinations make the flu largely preventable.

If we were told that 3,000 Americans had died from Ebola, we would be completely freaking out. In the 2003-2004 flu season, 48,614 Americans died from 'influenza associated deaths' according to the CDC. Why aren't we freaking out about that? Because CNN isn't trying to scare us to death about the flu, and Ebola is unfamiliar to us.

Is Ebola frightening? Yes. Will it get worse? Probably. Are the big news networks trying to program us with fear? Absolutely.

Get a flu shot.