NEW YORK If Halloween is supposed to be spooky, at least some costumes worn this year by party-goers in the United States promise to be terrifying. 
 
 Some of the more ghoulish trick-or-treaters will be dressed as emergency responders to people sick with Ebola, head to toe in protective clothing, according to costume previews in social media. 
 
 Ghosts, vampires and fairy princesses will likely continue to be the most popular costumes for the Oct. 31 fancy dress party. But every year, it seems edgier costumes emerge from news headlines. 
 
 Costumes are meant to lampoon, "but the world is getting more serious. This is scary stuff," said Tony Bianchi, manager of New York Costumes in Manhattan. 
 
 In past years, the store has sold such ripped-from-the-headlines costumes as White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Princess Diana after her fatal car crash and the Chilean miners trapped underground in 2010. 
 
 The Ebola virus that has killed nearly 4,000 people in west Africa seems to be this year's favorite among some planning for Halloween. 
 
 "If you wanna scare the hell out of people this #Halloween just dress up as #Ebola," tweeted @samkalidi. 
 
 Photos on Twitter have shown costumes based upon Ebola workers clad in goggles, rubber gloves and full-body protective suits. 
 
 "Im gonna be #Ebola for #halloween this year cuz thats whats hip now," @Killa_tay_tay posted on Twitter. 
 
 Bianchi predicted costumes related to Ebola would be homemade, and said that no manufacturer had produced them. 
 
 "There are certain things - you just don't go there," he said. 
 
 Some people on social media appear to be contemplating costumes based on militants from the group Islamic State, also known as ISIS, although many said it was a tasteless choice. 
 
 "Note to idiots: don't dress up as #ISIS for #Halloween unless you want a realistic bullet wound as part of your costume," tweeted @sandykaren. 
 
 (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Frances Kerry) ||||| ANigerian health official wearing a protective suit waits to screen passengers for the Ebola virus at the arrivals hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. 
 
 Is interest in hazmat suits up because of all-encompassing fear or All Hallow's Eve? 
 
 Amid fears about the spread of Ebola, the suits are selling for $1,300 on Amazon and being bid on for the more standard $51 on eBay while shares of a company that makes them are spiking this week. 
 
 Protected healthcare workers in Africa and elsewhere are seeking to stop an outbreak that has killed thousands of people and left thousands more orphaned and now moved into countries like Spain and the U.S. So would hazmat suits help regular Americans who want to protect themselves from the deadly disease? 
 
 Doctors say the suits are better for Halloween scares than Ebola ones. 
 
 Even so, the suits are on the fronts of many people's minds and newspapers. 
 
 An ad on Amazon explains the outerwear doesn't guarantee protection -- "A great combo pack that may help to protect against Ebola" -- but it also notes that the entire package of 1 Tyvek suit with built-in hood and booties, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 surgical masks, comfortable safety glasses and duct tape to form a seal between the suit and the gloves is "small enough to keep one in your home and one kit in your car for a quick get away." 
 
 Meanwhile, shares of Lakeland Industries, a suit manufacturer, rocketed up 50 percent to hit a year-high Thursday, the fifth consecutive day of gains for the company, according to The Street. 
 
 A BBC News headline asked "Can this suit stop Ebola from spreading?" when the British Department for International Development began sending 600,000 protective suits to West Africa to help medical teams grappling with a crisis. (Short answer: Obviously, among health workers dealing with the diseased.) 
 
 Later, the BBC raised new questions when it ran a story under this headline: Ebola suit of Spanish patient 'may have touched her face' 
 
 Thursday, The Daily Mail directly asked an infectious disease expert how useful the suits are for the general public. 
 
 University of Pittsburgh Dr. Amesh Adalja told the British outlet, "A suit won't have much use other than as a Halloween costume." 
 
 He called them "a waste of money" and added, "Ebola does not pose a risk to the general public because it is not contagious unless you come in contact with the bodily fluids of a symptomatic individual." He stressed the virus doesn't spread like the common cold. 
 
 The suits aren't easy to wear, either. Dr. Joseph Fair, an American virologist who has worked in Sierra Leone for more than 10 years, told NPR that being inside the suit is "like being in a steam room" and "an exhaustive process" because of the heat, mask, boots, goggles and focus that's required. 
 
 Wednesday, word that a "possible Ebola patient" had been admitted to an Inglewood hospital emergency room stirred up more worry, though it was eased when the Los Angeles County's public health chief said the patient was not suspected of having the disease. Coming on the same day as news of the death in Dallas of the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S. and the Spanish government's deliberate killing of a dog whose owner has the disease, perhaps it was inevitable that people would consider suiting up. If only for Halloween. ||||| NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Lakeland Industries (LAKE - Get Report) surged more than 50% to hit a 52-week high of $18.60 in morning trading Thursday after the first U.S. patient diagnosed with the Ebola virus died in the Dallas area on Wednesday. 
 
 Lakeland manufactures hazmat suits that healthcare workers use to prevent contracting the virus. The company announced in September the suits would be available worldwide. 
 
 The climb marks the fifth consecutive day of gains for Lakeland, and shares have more than doubled year to date. 
 
 Must Read: Warren Buffett's 25 Favorite Stocks 
 
 More than 20 million shares had changed hands as of 11:30 a.m., which eclipsed the average volume of 615,565. 
 
 Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates LAKELAND INDUSTRIES INC as a "hold" with a ratings score of C-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: 
 
 "We rate LAKELAND INDUSTRIES INC (LAKE) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed - some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and notable return on equity. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including unimpressive growth in net income, weak operating cash flow and poor profit margins." 
 
 Compared to its closing price of one year ago, LAKE's share price has jumped by 54.73%, exceeding the performance of the broader market during that same time frame. Regarding the stock's future course, our hold rating indicates that we do not recommend additional investment in this stock despite its gains in the past year. 
 
 LAKELAND INDUSTRIES INC has experienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. This company has not demonstrated a clear trend in earnings over the past 2 years, making it difficult to accurately predict earnings for the coming year. During the past fiscal year, LAKELAND INDUSTRIES INC turned its bottom line around by earning $0.00 versus -$4.88 in the prior year. 
 
 Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to -$1.90 million or 459.11% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower. 
 
 The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 109.3% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $4.17 million to -$0.39 million. 
 
 You can view the full analysis from the report here: LAKE Ratings Report 
 
 Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:
– Not that it's a huge surprise, but Reuters reports that its informal survey of social media suggests that Ebola is going to be a major Halloween theme this year. The ultra-dedicated might try to dress up as the virus itself, but otherwise expect to see a lot of makeshift hazmat suits. Generally speaking, these are going to be homemade get-ups, because, as the manager of New York Costumes explains, no major costume manufacturer will touch the subject. "There are certain things—you just don't go there," he says. Some people may be shelling out for the real thing, of course. Whether because of Halloween or paranoia, suits of all kinds are selling on eBay and Amazon, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune. "A great combo pack that may help to protect against Ebola," read the ad for one suit on Amazon, and, hey, it's "small enough to keep one in your home and one kit in your car for a quick get away." One company surely happy about the trend is Lakeland Industries, a maker of a hazmat suits whose shares surged more than 50% this week and have more than doubled over last year, reports the Street.