The odd thing about pandemics is that we forget about them when they are not around. Yet when they break out there is widespread and understandable concern, which unfortunately can turn to panic. In the fourteenth century, the Black Death, which raged in Asia and Europe for seven years from 1346, is estimated to have killed between 75 and 200 million people. Between 1918 and 1919, the virulent Spanish flu infected half a billion people of whom some 50 million died, a death toll greater than that in the deadly battles during the four years of the First World War.

In recent years we have had outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Avian flu and Ebola. The big difference between these and the historic infections is that they were epidemics - they were not pandemics that spread around the whole world. Moreover, thanks to the developments of modern medicine, once they were identified they could very often be treated successfully. It has also been possible to develop inoculations that would protect those in danger zones, particularly the courageous and dedicated doctors and nurses who were treating and caring for those infected.

A similar prophylactic regime exists for the diseases of stock animals. Hygiene and disease-control standards here in the Kingdom, in Japan, Australia and New Zealand as well as the Americas and Europe mean that the slightest outbreak is treated rapidly with the isolation of all herds in affected areas and the immediate slaughter and burning of every infected animal. The farmers who lose their stock this way are compensated, even though government cash cannot cover the cost of years of effort and investment developing good bloodlines. Unfortunately, in less well-regulated countries, particularly in Africa, farmers cannot afford veterinary services and know the government will not pay them to destroy what is often their only means of livelihood. Thus in North Africa, notably Libya, foot and mouth disease is endemic.

As befits the globalized world in which we live, any outbreak of a serious contagious disease that could impact humans is quickly known thanks to the monitoring efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa four years ago caused over 11,000 deaths among the 30,000 people infected in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Now this fearful disease has reoccurred in Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO was criticized for its slow response to the 2014 outbreak. But once it had recognized the scale of the challenge, it moved effectively to contain the disease within these three states. More importantly it appears to have learned valuable lessons from that experience. Thus it sponsored the development of the rVSV-ZEBOV anti-Ebola vaccine. This week, it began a mass inoculation program among the 1.2 million inhabitants of Mbandaka, the Congolese city close to the latest Ebola irruption.

The key to containing any epidemic is persuading people surrounded by the disease not to panic and flee to safety. This obviously increases the likelihood of spreading the contagion. It is arguable that a real shortcoming of the WHO in 2014 was not to work quickly with governments to put out those messages warning people to behave responsibly. It would appear that this time the organization has made public awareness a priority along with the mass inoculation program.