New Disease Scary, but Not as Bad as Flu

Reuters via Yahoo ^ | Wednesday, April 2, 2003 | Maggie Fox

[InShanghai]

Thanks for posting the chart (:-))

I thought the chart you had covered more than just HK. Me memory must be failing! LOL!

Ignoring China Mainland:
March 29th: 816
April 1st: 998
April 2nd: 1033

=================================
Ignoring China and Hong Kong:
March 29th: 286
April 1: 313
April 2: 325

---

I never thought of looking at it in that perspective.

[nopardons]

Listen. ONE more time.

" NORMALLY ? As in just an everyday, common variety flu ? That's besides the point ! The Spanish, Asian, and Hong Kong flus KILLED people who did NOT Have " weakened immune systems ". That's a FACT ; not some pulled out of thin air supposition. Look it up. Oh, and BTW, I actually am a survivor of the Asian Flu. It was ghastly.

You've now backtracked THREE times. Perhaps the better part of valor, would be for you ( and everyone else, who aren't really medical/ historical experts ) to just keep mum. :-)

I'm not the one comparing the two ; the article did that. It's also factual, that the Spanish, ASian, and Hong Kong flu pandemics were VERY serious; far MORE serious and also TRUE pandemics ; which SARS isn't.

[hove]

This is one of the most stupid articles posted on FR! I wonder if the author knows how many people died from HIV/AIDS.........in 1980?? I'm sure it wasn't near as bad as the flu.

[blam]

This guy thinks SARS and the war will cause a world wide recession

Economist Predicts World Recession

[TennesseeProfessor]

I'm going to bed so this will be my last posting tonight. I clearly said in my original post that "Flu in general" was nowhere near as bad as SARS and I stand by that. I can't help it if you misapply my remarks to the rare deadly strains of Flu.

[hove]

"I'm not the one comparing the two ; the article did that. It's also factual, that the Spanish, ASian, and Hong Kong flu pandemics were VERY serious; far MORE serious and also TRUE pandemics ; which SARS isn't."

YET!!! Cripes you people! It isn't the absolute count...it's the death rate. At 4%....SARS is worse than even the horrible 1918 flu! We are in the early days of this mess. I hope it dies out....but if it does become a "true" pandemic....it will be one of the worse in history. Why is that so hard to understand?

[blam]

I bought the last 10 surgical masks at the local hypermart 3-4 days ago. I hope I never need them.

[hove]

"This guy thinks SARS and the war will cause a world wide recession"

He is wrong. SARS and the war will be used as an excuse for the coming world depression. It's called outsourcing responsibility.....or scapegoating. The real causes are corrupt politicians, corporate leaders, and bankers. Throw in abundant stupidity and greed....and you have the recipe for what is coming.

[nopardons]

Yes, and I replied to your ERRONIOUS statement. You are, plain out W-R-O-N-G , about the flu. There have been and ARE many deadly strains of flu. When you learn some actual facts, then and ONLY then, feel free to post replies, dear. : -)

[nopardons]

Why is it SO difficult for you hyperventaliting scardy-cats to realize that SARS has , indeed , been around for many months and has NOT speard all that much, and has NOT killed all that many people. Past pandemics, without the aid of planes, spread far faster and far wider than SARS has !

Yes, I know, facts don't matter to you guys; you just enjoy wqorrying yourself and as many others as you can gull, into mass hysteria. ; ^ )

[exDemMom]

I'm perfectly clear on the point you're making. The mortality rate is VERY high, for something which, according to latest reports, is a cold-like disease.

Running the numbers, if everyone in my town got the disease, nearly two thousand would die. Very sobering.

Other questions I'm wondering about are the rate of infection in those exposed, and if there are certain factors which increase the risk of contracting the disease or the severity of the disease.

[InShanghai]

This thing has been out in the public since November of 2002. It's way overrated. As you put it: "Past pandemics, without the aid of planes, spread far faster and far wider than SARS has !"

My biggest question for this whole outbreak is: Why couldn't they pick a better name for the disease? Hoof and mouth disease, Legionaire's disease, Whooping Cough, Chicken Pox, and SARS... Maybe something like Metropole pneumonia. Anyone have other suggestions?

[nopardons]

It's the damned PC climate !

How about: CHINESE DUCK ( CHICKEN ? ) COUGH ? LOL

[flashbunny]

"YET!!! Cripes you people! It isn't the absolute count...it's the death rate. At 4%....SARS is worse than even the horrible 1918 flu! We are in the early days of this mess. I hope it dies out....but if it does become a "true" pandemic....it will be one of the worse in history. Why is that so hard to understand?" um, because you're taking things out of context and out of perspective?

Right now that 4% includes a lot of people who live in third world conditions. It's also on the very early end of the life cycle of this virus. Before a pattern emerges, testing and treatment aren't done as well as they are when the outbreak matures.

So here's what we have going for us now:
1. The US has far better medical facilities and programs than china and other asian countries where this is going on.
2. We have better living conditions than the countries hit the hardest, including better hygeine and sanitation.
3. We have more information on how to spot and control this illness.
4. We have the ability to rapidly transmit this information and coordinate treatment.

We will have more cases as this develops, but it won't be the plague some people seem to be looking for. Oddly, when you present the facts to some people,they actually seem disappointed in you for not buying into the hype.

[nopardons]

Saddly true. The FR contingent of hyperventilating hypocondriacs, would just LOVE to have a devistating, pandemic.

[InShanghai]

We will have more cases as this develops, but it won't be the plague some people seem to be looking for. Oddly, when you present the facts to some people,they actually seem disappointed in you for not buying into the hype.

So true. The data everyone is using is the reported number of cases. There are more than likely people who have had it that have not run to the hospital for a cough or a runny nose(which only happens in socialized medicine countries). If Hillary gets what she wants then this is what will happen in the US.

Other suggestions for the virus name:

• MIPV (Media induced panic virus)
  
• WHOS (World Health Organization Syndrome)
  
• Kofi Cough
  
• Peking Pneumonia

[etcetera]

"And both were born in China. Influenza begins as an infection of birds..."

If the world medical community understands where and how these diseases start, wouldn't it be prudent and cheaper to clean up the SOURCE? If all the money spent on the flu every year were to be expended in cleaning up this farming mess, wouldn't it be better for all people in the long run?

[InShanghai]

"In 1997, Hong Kong authorities slaughtered more than a million chickens and ducks to stem the epidemic of "bird flu" that came to be known by its genetic nickname of H5N1. It killed six people and infected 18.

The source of this virus has not yet been found. It's now being passed between people, so going after the source would probably have little effect today. Finding the source and educating the people who work with the livestock (assuming it is from an animal) will help curb future outbreaks.

[rustbucket]

You really don't want to catch this stuff. See: Professor's Bout with SARS. The guy wasn't able to move or talk.

[desertsolitaire]

M.O.O.N. that spells SCARY.