There is so much going on in the world, I suppose it has always been that way. Some thing just seem to fall beneath the radar. Or perhaps it is just that the American public is preoccupied with the approaching presidential election. For whatever the reason, it seems our media has ignored several major stories in the last few weeks. For example, in the area of pestilence, I'm sure you have noticed a sudden increase in the frequency of disease outbreaks, particularly the extremely dangerous and contagious diseases that used to be considered rare. For example, just this weekend, there was a major outbreak of cholera in South Africa. Add to that the outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, Rift Valley Fever in Saudi Arabia and the worldwide spread of West Nile virus, you have some major outbreaks at roughly the same time. The public awareness of this seems to be minimal. Perhaps the media is trying to downplay these events so as not to cause a panic? Still, there is no denying that these outbreaks seem to be increasing in frequency and severity.