UN Warns of Worldwide Threat from Killer Pneumonia

reuters.com ^ | Sat March 15, 2003 11:21 AM ET | Richard Waddington

[cake_crumb]

"A question for the experts out there: can a gas mask stop a virus?"

Not with any certainty. Depends on the filters used.

That said, why panic? It's a darned Asiatic flu which originated in Asia, of course. There isn't a whole heckuvalot anyone can do to prevent it but take care of themselves and try to remain as calm as possible.

As for the reason there's little info on the CDC...the hype is kinda sudden, no one knows what they're dealing with and that should be our first clue that a mountain is being built just as the molehill was discovered.

It's happened before: ebola in Canada and the US three years ago, and West Nile two years ago...BOTH were sold as THE plague that was going to decimate the human race (again)

[Neuromancer]

There's a lady I know

Happy are they

[blam]

"People will get their places all sealed up and cozy, then run down to the supermarket for some extra milk, or the bank for a few extra bux, some dude will cough, and they'll be six feet under in a week..."

Geez... I'm thinking now if I should go to the Rally For America tomorrow. This could become more of a threat than terrorists. BTW, I used all my Y2K tuna but, I have a fresh batch, lol.

[Cascadians]

An excellent thread detailing this outbreak and its possible ramifications:

[Hlth] **Heads Up** WHO issues global alert on new form of pneumonia

It's a serious discussion with many news articles.

[djf]

I always get a kick out of the earthquake and winter storm types who say "have enough stuff for three days".

If anything really serious happens, three months!

[blam]

"Only ground control can page major thoms"

You've really made the grade.

[Neuromancer]

"You know it is the end times when even non religious folks not usually into prophetic happenings, see it."

Hold your phone calls, we have a winner in the Quote of the day/millennium contest.

[blam]

"If anything really serious happens, three months!"

It could get a little rough but, I could handle three months. (I have a 17 acre lake full of fish in my front yard.)

[djf]

A couple bottles of aspirin, 500CC's of Agricillin, 30 Gms of Agricyclin, and 1000 rounds doesn't hurt either.

[blam]

"500 cans of tuna, 75 pounds of rice, wild greens and a victory garden, and there ain't nothin' that can stop you (well, almost)."

Don't forget the dried beans. Beans can fulfill all your nutritional needs except for niacin and you get that from the rice.

[cake_crumb]

Preferred The Stand to The Talisman (a King/Straub collaboration). The Talisman was good and very original in it's way...but The Stand was King's magnum opus. The SUB PLOTS in the book - the movie could come nowhere close - were incredible. We had devastating plague, human kindness and cruelty, human ingenuity for the sake of survival and typical human frailties ALL overlaid with a monumental battle of Good against Evil.

I either sold at a flea market of loaned out The Talisman...The Stand is in my book case. It's a keeper.

[unixfox]

This is Mrs. Floyd Calling for Mr. Floyd will you accept the charges?

He just keeps hanging up...

[djf]

And there is that very large squirrel who lives in my backyard, makes all kinds of racket when I take my naps, and infuriates my hound.
A few carrots, green onions, and taters, he'd be pretty tender if I marinate him!

[Neuromancer]

A team of CDC epidemiologists arrived in Hanoi Saturday to gather samples and try to determine what's causing the outbreak. A separate team of French doctors was expected to bring medicine and respirators.
WHO officials urged all countries to help in the outbreaks. Scientists do not know whether SARS is a virus or even an infectious agent. As a result, they are focusing on the possibility that it is a previously unknown infectious agent.

[realpatriot71]

Could this be some type of bio-terrorism???

Yes, but then, any contagious, easily spreadble dz would do. This is more than likely a mutant variety of your usual influenza bug. Most of the flu we get in this country comes from the SE Asia.

[realpatriot71]

A question for the experts out there: can a gas mask stop a virus?

If a mask can stop a gas, which is a smaller than a virus, then yes, your mask will stop the virus.

[cake_crumb]

"Doubtful - as contagious as this appears to be, the mask won't help a bit. They don't help much in the first place"

Thae problem here is there's no data on how contagious it IS. What little data we have indicates it's no more contageous than any other form of flu. This whole UN warning thing is a TAD premature.

[Neuromancer]

Best served with dumplings

[Porterville]

You read about the carp on Drudge??