Hazmat Suit Maker’s Stock Prices Surge on Ebola News

Shares in hazmat suit manufacturer Lakeland Industries surged nearly 25% Thursday following news of New York City’s first Ebola patient. While a Friday decline subsequently cut those gains in half, that still left the company worth more than twice as much as it had been worth at the beginning of the year.

The protective equipment industry is just one of many that has been affected by this year’s Ebola outbreak. Airlines and manufacturers of other Ebola-related products, including experimental treatments, have experienced enormous market volatility as the path of the disease continues to evolve.

Shares in Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, which is developing an experimental Ebola drug, are up nearly 140% this year, but the gains have not been consistent and have at times met with dramatic declines.

Other stocks to watch include Amgen and Johnson & Johnson. Both pharmaceutical companies announced recently that they would work on treatments for the disease.