Fear of the Ebola virus appears to be driving an increase in sales of disinfectants and bleach in the U.S. — even though only two people have contracted the virus there.

“Can you kill Ebola?” a person who gave her name as Starlena Barnes asked on Lysol’s corporate Facebook page. Barnes’ post was one of dozens of similar queries.

“So does Lysol kill Ebola...just wondering because Iam (sic) about to buy out my local ggrocery (sic) stores,” asked another Lysol customer.

In a post on Lysol’s corporate website, the company notes that their products have not been tested on Ebola but “based on their ability to kill similar as well as harder to kill viruses, these products are likely to be effective against the Ebola virus.”

The company’s website now features a large banner labelled “Safeguarding Against the Spread of Ebola,” which links to information on the product’s effectiveness against the virus.

Disinfectant sales at Lysol maker Reckitt Benckiser increased by 9.4 per cent in September and 9.5 per cent in August, according to Nielsen market research.

Sales of Clorox bleach were also up by 28 per cent over the last month, AdvertisingAge reported.

Google searches for ‘Ebola suits,’ ‘lysol Ebola’ and related terms jumped at the beginning of October, after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control confirmed that Duncan was infected with Ebola.

Registered at the end of September, Florida-based EbolaSuits.com is selling protective gear, from gloves ($9.99) and face masks ($4.99) to a “long term survival suit.”

The suit costs $1,499 and protects the wearer from hazardous chemicals and nerve gases, in addition to Ebola. It is available only in lime yellow.

Similar Ebola protection suits are available on Amazon, where they have largely attracted ridicule.

“Bought it and so far I don't have Ebola so it works,” one commenter wrote on the page for a $743 Level A Vapor Protective Suit.

Calls to a number listed on EbolaSuits.com on Friday were answered with a voice-mail message that said the company was receiving a “high volume of calls.”

Calls to other numbers listed for the company and its directors were also not answered.

“Keep in mind there may be something on the order of 2.5 times MORE cases than reported!” warns a note on the EbolaSuits.com website.

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Two people have contracted Ebola in the U.S., or 0.000000006 per cent of the population.

Both are health care workers who treated Thomas Duncan, who travelled to the U.S. after becoming infected in Monrovia, Liberia.

If the number of cases were indeed 2.5 times higher, about 0.00000002 per cent of the population would have Ebola.

“Do not listen to the hysterical voices on the radio and the television, or read the fear-provoking words online,” Fox News anchor Shepard Smith said on Wednesday, addressing what he called “irresponsible” and “hysterical” reporting on the Ebola virus.

“You should have no concerns about Ebola at all. None. I promise,” Smith said.