SARS BUG DEADLIER THAN AIDS SAYS DOC

Daily Record (UK) ^ | April 23, 2003

[pepsi_junkie]

SARS BUG DEADLIER THAN AIDS SAYS DOC

Apr 24 2003

A LEADING doctor has warned the SARS virus could be more devastating than AIDS.

Dr Patrick Dickson called on world governments to act to stamp out the threat from the deadly respiratory illness.

Dr Dixon, one of Europe's experts on predicting global trends, said it could be more dangerous than AIDS because of its ability to spread quickly.

He said: "It is worth remembering that AIDS has infected 80 million people so far over 15 to 20 years.

"AIDS spreads slowly so we can track it and plan for it. We have effective anti- viral drugs which can prolong life.

"But this is different, we don't have the time. This is a far more serious epidemic potentially than AIDS."

Dr Dixon said his main concern was rural, isolated areas in China and around the world.

He added: "In a country like India, which is chaotic with minimum health provision, the potential for spreading the virus is huge."

Dr Dixon, a fellow at the Centre for Management Development at London Business School, said if current trends continued, there could be a billion cases within 60 weeks.

He has called on world leaders to address the problem as a matter of "national security".

The Government yesterday advised Britons not to travel to Toronto, Hong Kong and the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Beijing and Shanxi because of SARS.

Toronto is the first location outside Asia added to the list.

[pepsi_junkie]

I was predicting today that it was just a matter of time before the AIDS lobby starts to get really mad about SARS stealing all the headlines. The gauntlet is thrown!

[pepsi_junkie]

Let me beat the post-police to the punch. Already posted Here. Dagnabbit!

[rimmont]

The spread of this disease can be chalked up to the secretive stupidity of the communists who run China. Any death from SARS outside China is yet another death caused by that disgraceful system and the repugnant scum who subscribe to it.

[Zipporah]

You may find this interesting...

http://www.sarstravel.com/sars_bubble.htm

[rimmont]

"The spread of this disease can be chalked up to the secretive stupidity of the communists who run China. Any death from SARS outside China is yet another death caused by that disgraceful system and the repugnant scum who subscribe to it."-BOTH ABROAD AND HERE AT HOME.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

We keep buying Chinese-made goods to keep the tyrants in power in China. Wal-Mart is your Chinese source for everything. Keep shopping. Keep the dictators firmly in control.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Does this mean it is spread in other places outside of gay bar rest rooms, back alleys and bath houses?

[rimmont]

The Canadian border should be sealed immediately.

[Brian S]

Wal-Mart is your Chinese source for everything

Forbid, should the rumor ever get started that the virus lives on "imported" chinese goods. ;)

[b4its2late]

This is series!

[Risa]

>>We keep buying Chinese-made goods to keep the tyrants in power in China. Wal-Mart is your Chinese source for everything. Keep shopping. Keep the dictators firmly in control.<<

I have never shopped in Walmart or purchased chinese goods (although I have to wonder about my computer chips). Buying American means I might have to postpone a purchase until I've saved enough money, but having done so, the item means a lot more to me, the quality is superior, and I save in the long run because the item doesn't have to be replaced for several years.

I believe the poor get poorer because they feel forced to buy cheap stuff, so they must keep buying the same item over and over again, instead of well-made stuff that lasts for years.

risa

[new cruelty]

bttt

[Paleo Conservative]

The spread of this disease can be chalked up to the secretive stupidity of the communists who run China.

Any chance that this could be China's Chernobyl?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

You can tell the war is over. Michael Jackson is back in the news, and media-hysteria induced crises are popping up right and left.

[Cicero]

Of course it's more serious than AIDS. AIDS is a disease of choice. SARS will spread around the world and kill the innocent along with the guilty. The guilty being the Chinese Communist Politburo, who decided to do a real-life imitation of Thomas Mann's Death in Venice

and succeeded only too well.

[pttttt]

No one seems to be considering the possibility that SARS could be a Chinese biological warfare agent which got out, either accidentally or for some purpose. The most I heard about it was an aside comment from someone on the To The Point show on NPR, where a commentator said that the SARS virus did not appear to have been genetically manipulated. One was apparently expected without further comment to conclude from that that this was therefore a natural bug.

But bioagents could also be produced just from isolation and cultivation. I don't think any of the anthrax in the letters was genetically manipulated - just processed in a way to ensure maximum lethality.

And US leadership has said a number of times that China is into the biowarfare game. See e.g. links at http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/cpsrogue.htm#general.

That would explain Chinese stonewalling of factfinding about it - not that they wouldn't do that anyway. But I could even see them infecting their own people to use as contagious vectors. They wouldn't be squeamish about doing that. And then we couldn't say we'd been attacked.

SARS works too well as a bioterror weapon for this possibility to be immediately assumed away. It's very contagious, there's no vaccine or cure, it kills a significant number of people and apparently incapacitates all who catch it (though if there's such a thing as a mild case it hasn't been reported) - the most vulnerable being caregivers, doctors, and nurses - and is extremely disruptive and economically damaging.

[ChemistCat]

Sexually transmitted diseases differ from diseases like SARS because they are so difficult to transmit. If HIV ever finds a way to transmit itself through the air, the population is going to plummet. That'd make the eco-freaks happy, anyway.

That fear of a virus mutating into a form that is easier to spread is one reason why these medication regimens that prolong life for AIDS sufferers are a very bad idea for the species. Great for individuals. Lousy for the human race. We could wipe out AIDS completely if we were willing to be completely inhumane about our methods.

But that's not who we are, I guess.

We're overdue for a flu epidemic. This isn't flu but it'll do I guess. :-(

[fourdeuce82d]

Dr Dixon, one of Europe's experts on predicting global trends

sounds like "Army Form Blank" or "BUMF- i.e. Bum Fodder"

If the author of this piece want's to be taken series, I need to know WHO says this doc is an expert, WHICH trends he is expert in predicting, and BASED ON WHAT evidence is he making this prediction.

I used caps. you must take me series. ly.

[two23]

Just to put this in perspective, the following is from the CDC web site on the TYPICAL Influenza virus that the U.S. sees every year. (NOT SARS), but do notice the estimated yearly death rate. 36,000 PER YEAR. Is anyone ever alarmed about the run-of the mill flu killing 36,000 people a year in the USA alone?

Influenza Viruses also known as the flu, is a contagious disease that is caused by the influenza virus. It attacks the respiratory tract in humans (nose, throat, and lungs).

Anyone Can Get the Flu, But the Disease Is More Severe for Some People. Most people who get influenza will recover in one to two weeks, but some people will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of the flu. Millions of people in the United States — about 10% to 20% of U.S. residents — will get influenza each year. An average of about 36,000 people per year in the United States die from influenza, and 114,000 per year have to be admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza. Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age. People age 65 years and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, and very young children are more likely to get complications from influenza. Pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from flu. The flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.