No virus has ever been known to mutate.
No virus that has a 70% kill rate within a few weeks of infection has ever been viewed as a serious public health risk that required quarantine.
(Sarcasm tag implied for the sarcasm impaired.)
Oh yeah and nowadays HIV is being controlled as is Hep C, I know several people who have been through the treatment and are doing fine.
Zaire does mutate slightly between different clusters, but the mutations, usually found through dna testing, have little or no effect on the virus strain, which is resistant to exchanging RNA with other viruses.
From what I have read, this is due largely to space requirements within the containment envelope of the virus which is a specific size and shape.
Having said that, mutation of a strain changing kind is certainly a worry and the chances are not zero..and rise with the total number of infected who pass it on.
I think Obama has plans to engage the Ebola virus, and anticipate that he will soon announce plans to negotiate with Ebola. But, first, we all must acknowledge the virtues of Ebola. Ebola is a virus of peace, a virus dedicated to fairness, and equality, and humanity. No genuine Ebola virus would wantonly kill journalists and innocent children. What we are witnessing is the perversion of a great virus. We will offer to support moderate strains of the Ebola virus to isolate and eliminate this perverted strain of Ebola.
Hope’n’Change is Obama’s strategy to hand this perversion of Ebola.
MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF is giving us old information - numbers from past Ebola outbreaks. Here's how this strain is different:
ALL past Ebola outbreaks started in the jungle and moved toward cities. This outbreak started in a city.
All other Ebola outbreaks started in ONE place - a small village or community.... This outbreak STARTED in THREE cities simultaneously.
Because African doctors and other Health Care workers in Africa are familiar with Ebola - - health care workers generally didn't get infected in the past. With this strain health care workers are getting infected. Doctors are getting infected, nurses are getting infected.
Last but not least - before this outbreak became political (something the CDC wallows in) several African doctors had commented on how 'healthy' patients appeared almost up until their death. That's different - and telling.
" Longer good 'walking around' health" means statistics from earlier outbreaks are NOT valid. Older strains of Ebola took people down quickly - the sickness stopped them from being able to walk around and infect others. It was self contained for that reason.