> What is it up to now, 120 or so over  the last decade? Count me
> un-scared.

I've seen the video footage. Of all the diseases you don't want to get, this
is the one. Count me as scared.

> Nasty way to go if it happens, but less likely than a lightning strike
> or shark attack.

Depends on whether you engage in high risk activity or not, like eating raw
brains. People on this list are probably more likely to try wild meat, and
should remember that many wild deer/elk type creatures are thought to be
infected.

>Perhaps so. Time will tell. My own guess is that this is nothing new in
>fact, and that a few people a year have been getting this 'new' disease
>since forever. The numbers are so low that a given doctor wouldn't see
>a single case in a lifetime.

I find this unconvincing. The symptoms are so abnormal and unpleasant, that
the disease was reported very quickly when cases appeared here.