[familyop]

"The mortality rate is between 1-2%, has gotten somewhat lower with the new treatments."

I'm surprised at the lack of information about the effects of the disease on those who live through it. How many people have other noticeable medical problems? Are their medical bills expensive? Are many employees absent from their jobs for long? How many are likely disabled for noticeable periods of time?

And what about those costs to our economy? Loses incurred by Booger King, El Maggot, local bars and micro-gyms might pale in comparison.

[PATed]

The weird thing is how badly it affects some people but not others. Some die or are hospitalized on a ventilator for a month or more. Many are in the hospital for 2 or 3 days and go home.

I don’t know too much about lasting effects for people who leave the hospital. Anyone who’s spent a long time on a vent will need rehab before they’re ready to go home.