Most people aren’t familiar with the word “zoonotic,” but they have heard of SARS, they have heard of West Nile virus, they have heard of bird flu. They know someone who has suffered through Lyme disease and someone else who has died of AIDS. They have heard of Ebola, and they know that it’s a terrifying thing (though they may confuse it with E. coli, the bacterium that can kill you if you eat the wrong spinach). They are concerned. They are vaguely aware. But they don’t have the time or the interest to consider a lot of scientific detail. I can say from experience that some people, if they
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