Ebola.

Ebola is one of the world's most feared diseases, and it is running rampant through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in Africa, so far killing over seven hundred people and infecting many of the aid workers trying to stem the disease.   There is a distinct danger that an infected person may spread Ebola in western society if the speed of air travel allows it to gain a hold in a big metropolitan city.

Unfortunately, it's early symptoms are no different to those of the common cold or flu.  It's incubation period can vary between three days and three weeks, and during that time it can be passed to others who come in contact with body fluids from the infected person.   It is a Haemorrhagic disease and when it passes from passive to active it results in massive bleeding from the eyes, nose, mouth, internal organs - and has a 90% mortality rate.

Several films and a number of books depicted Ebola used as a weapon of war, and it is a chilling thought that it could be deliberately spread by terror groups.   Where death by immolation is considered " martyrdom " and attracts the bestowing of a reward there seems little difference between strapping a suicide vest to one's body - and deliberately infecting with Ebola to cause multiple deaths of perceived enemies.

Ebola is not spreadable by air contact, but should an infected person rub their eyes or put a hand to their mouth, contact with coins in making a purchase would contaminate those coins and spread the disease as the coins make further circulation.   Should a person deliberately contaminate hand rails, door openings or other multiple contact points within a cityscape - mass contagion would be quickly possible.

The origin of Ebola is not fully known but it is thought to present in the DNA of bats and monkeys, and as " bush meat " is often human fare in Africa it is presumed that the crossover has occurred in this context.  World health bodies are in a race to not only shut down the disease in Africa, but to prevent it's escape to other parts of the world.   The danger is that terrorist groups may see an opportunity to use it as a weapon.

As so often happens with weapons of war.  The world is in a race to develop a vaccination or at least a means of treating Ebola and at the same time contain the disease from breaking out of a small section of the world.