[mvpel]

Not a very effective bio-weapon, if it is one - what, a 4% death rate?

[The Sons of Liberty]

The best weapons are not necessarily those that kill. If, for instance, you infect a lot of troops, they cannot fight because they would be too sick, and scarce resources and numerous other personnel would be tied up in caring for them.

I've been worried since the start of the War about this possibility with our troops in Iraq. I don't think it is a coincidence that SARS appeared at about the same time as the start of the War.

[Diogenesis]

It is more complicated. The death rate almost doubles (~1.8 per decade) for
every decade of age of the patient.

It is a very serious infection for those over 40.

[Ronin]

Oh I don't know...

It is obvious that it has the power to cause a lot of damage. Just look at the chaos in Asia it has caused and the economic damage.

I have had a hunch about this for a while now. It seems to me that the Chinese were/are acting just a bit too paranoid (even for them) for this bug to be random happenstance.

I think it was being researched as a bio-weapon and escaped due to carelessness. If true, the Chi-Coms are going to have major egg on their faces and we all know how they react when that is a possibility.

[Ronin]

Oh I don't know...

It is obvious that it has the power to cause a lot of damage. Just look at the chaos in Asia it has caused and the economic damage.

I have had a hunch about this for a while now. It seems to me that the Chinese were/are acting just a bit too paranoid (even for them) for this bug to be random happenstance.

I think it was being researched as a bio-weapon and escaped due to carelessness. If true, the Chi-Coms are going to have major egg on their faces and we all know how they react when that is a possibility.

[ex-Texan]

Was this a test of the World Heath Organization, or how quickly the U.S. is capable of reacting to a bio-weapon ? ....

It was just a test -- I believe.

The death rate for the Spanish flu was only 2.5% but it killed over 20 million people. The virus may mutate as it ages and develops. At the end of the cycle with Spanish it had mutated and was killing 28% ...

The Chinese might even kill off 20% of their population with SARS ... which might be a good thing for them. They have far too many people.

[Domestic Church]

6.7% in Singapore and they have taken the most drastic measures so far.

[MizSterious]

Yes, but definitely a low-tech delivery system. Just infect a few people and send them out in the world.

[DB]

4% of the US population is only about 12,000,000...

No big deal eh?

[CathyRyan]

The flu of 1918 was 2.5 - 2.7 death rate and they are still talking about that one. 50% of medical staff (without special protection) treating patients come down with sars.

[snooker]

Fortunately most chinese weapons aren't very effective.