Though I don't think people shouldn't be panicking over something that they will probably never encounter, Ebola is definitely a very dangerous virus, with an extremely high mortality rate even in countries with very good health systems -- at any price. That experimental anti-Ebola drug cocktail ZMapp, which costs something like $10,000 a dose (at least 2x doses are needed), and isn't even proven effective and has failed in some cases; the supply has also run out. It's a deadly disease, whatever health official organizations in your countries should definitely be taking Ebola seriously to ensure that it doesn't become anything more than "something affecting Africa."
Even though I don't buy into the panic, I also find lame some of the jokes making fun of the attention people place on Ebola compared to other causes of death. People aren't concerned about heart disease or smoking deaths because those are generally lifestyle choices. Comparing the fear of being infected by Ebola to the chances that you'll get struck by lightning, killed by a car, or something like that would be far more reasonable.