Don't Do This!
Posted on 04/18/2003 11:35:09 AM PDT by ex-Texan
Deadly SARS Spreads World-Wide: Death Rate Also Increases and Doctors Worry About Mutating Virus
This is more evidence that SARS may be much worse that World Health Officials are admitting. The New York Times is reporting today that the death rate in Toronto, Canada is 9.5% and the mystery disease is still spreading rapidly around the world. Now the disease has spread to 27 countries. I quote from that report:
* * * As of yesterday, 27 countries and Hong Kong have reported a total of 3,389 cases. The number of cases in the United States was sharply reduced yesterday, to 35, from 208, when federal health officials, as expected, adopted the World Health Organization's stricter definition of probable SARS cases.In other reports, medical scientists are openly worrying that China may have greatly understated the number of its cases. CNN is reporting today that China has been secretly moving many of its SARS cases into military hospitals.Worldwide, SARS is blamed for 165 deaths, for a death rate of 4.9 percent, the W.H.O. reported.
But for unknown reasons, the death rate in Canada is about double; 12 of the country's 126 cases have been fatal, a death rate of 9.5 percent. * * *
The Taiwan News has reported this morning that WHO officials are concerned that by doing so China may have hidden as many as 1,000 cases in military hospitals and intentionally understated the number of deaths reported. As many as 100 to 200 additional deaths from this mystery virus may have been hidden by Beijing. Quoting briefly from that report:
But there is more bad news emerging about this Chinese mystery virus. Doctors are beginning to fear the virus may be mutating into an even more deadly form as it spreads around the world. From a report in New Scientist any mutation in the virus is a genuine cause for even more concern.* * * "They (the WHO experts) also estimated there are between 100-200 probable cases in Beijing, more than has been reported, and they feel that there might even be up to 1,000 people who are under observation right now," Heymann told a briefing in Geneva, adding that many of those may not be SARS cases.
The illness has already spread to a number of provinces, cities and regions in the world's most populous nation and Heymann feared the disease could spread further in coming weeks as millions of Chinese take a week-long holiday in early May.
If health officials are correct about the potential number of unreported cases in China, and also about under-reported deaths from SARS, their real concern may be understated greatly. Assuming that China has understated its cases by only 50% of number mentioned by WHO: the total number of cases would have to adjusted upwards to 3,889. Then the number of deaths would have to be adjusted upward as well by 100 or 200 -- to possibly total of 265 or even to 365.
That would mean a rather dramatic increase in the death rate percentage from the old estimate of 4.9%, to a new estimated range of 6.8% to 9.3%.
How very strange ... Because the newly adjusted death rate is nearly identical to the rate in Canada today. But I do not want to engage in wild speculation. What I would like are some answers.
What I would like to know is why China is hiding SARS patients from WHO officials in its "secretive" military hospitals. Is their goal to protect the general population ? Or is their goal to confuse health officials and prevent them from learning the true cause of this dreaded disease?
(Excerpt) Read more at newspundit.net ...
Further, neither yours nor your brother's name need come up, only the company and venue of the meeting. So if your not just jerking us off here with an attempt to get somebody to read your little haikus, then come across with the info. If you've a problem mentioning it publicly here, email it to me at: perloin@email.com
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/896126/posts
No comment on you disgusting ... example of 'prevention.' I remain as silent as a brick.
There is evidence in this: the New York Times (16 April) reports a superspreader who “infected 112 people, including every doctor and nurse who treated him.” Since all were infected, and “infection” here means “showing the syndrome”, natural resistance seems to be uncommon, and getting the virus apparently leads to the syndrome at a high rate.
Did they just do it again? I think I heard on the radio earlier this morning that there was an unusually high number of SARS deaths in Hong Kong today.
[sighs] Think what you will.
I'll decide what's right and wrong
without either your
insults or your threats.
I got my brother to see
a doctor. Now he --
the doctor -- can tell
authorities what he thinks
is appropriate.
(This is more response
than your stupid post required.
I'm not going to
get into a flame
with you. If you think I'm scum,
then p*ss off. I'll post
my posts, you post yours,
and everyone else can read
what the hell they want.)
He's assuming he just has a bad flu. (I'm scared, however, because he says along with the high fever, his back hurts pretty bad. [?]) He wants to struggle along until his regular trip next week to his doc. (I told him to go NOW, but, [sigh], older brothers always know what's best...) (#120)
You were asked; "Have they notified the health Department?" Your answer:
I don't know. I live across the country from them. I hope someone has...(#122)
You were then asked by "per loin" to: "Give... the name of the company and the venue of the meeting," so that he could "notify both the King County and Seattle Health Departments." You replied:
Thank you for the thought, but I don't want to meddle that openly in my brother's life. But I did get him to schedule a visit to his doctor for TODAY, so I'm sure his doctor will take whatever steps need to be taken. (My brother has asked that I stop pestering [!] him, so that he can sleep through the weekend. I'll know more Monday. (#165)
"per loin" then replied with "I don't give a d*mn how you feel about "meddling" in your brother's life......" thereby setting the tone for a bit of flaming.
I have no interest in any flame here. Likewise, I agree that with your not wanting to meddle in your brother's affairs. I do however (being a Seattle area resident), have some personal concern about what all you describe above. I also would like to know of the company, so as to notify the Seattle/King County Health Department for the same reasons outlined by "per loin." Of course, I do not desire any individual person's names. But as you stated above, this thing is "Bad."
I note that you "got my brother to see a doctor. Now he -- the doctor -- can tell authorities what he thinks is appropriate." Normally I would say this is enough. But due to the seriousness of the situation, I'm sure you would agree that any failings or mishaps on your brother's or the doctors part, to include miscommunication, could have serious consequences.
I am looking forward to you reply - thankyou.
Post #88 (TheLion) has a listing of symptoms from the CDC, just in case you missed it earlier (I did).
Hope he gets to feeling better.
So, is the solution to move to the country, or get outside more?
I have given this
a great deal of thought. Here's what
I've done, and my thoughts.
This morning, I filed
a report with King County/
Seattle public
health department. I
explained the situation,
and told them the name
of the company
where my sister-in-law works.
We need, however,
to all go slow here.
How long have you been around?
Do you remember
the daily fear threads
saying that if America
gave Clinton two terms
the National Guard
would start confiscating guns
the very next day?
Do you remember
the daily fear threads saying
that even if Bush
won, Clinton would not
leave office? Remember the
Y2K panic?
I think SARS is bad.
I think it's worse than the feds
are telling us. But
I remind myself
every day that there's always
something scaring us.
And there's always some
basis for the fear that's real.
But fearful people
have sometimes become
kooks. We must not become kooks.
Let's just be careful.
Well, I've had updates
to report. (1) My brother says
so many people
got sick where his wife
works, that many of them went
right away to see
doctors. So far, all --
including my brother and
his wife -- have been told
it's just a cluster
of flu type things, and not SARS.
(2) My own involvment
making conttact with
"Public Health, Seattle and
King County" has been
worth passing along.
Eventually, I did
get to give info.
However, their first
response included this bit:
"I do not know at this time whether we have enforcement capability for those with suspected SARS that go unreported through a medical facility such as a doctor."So, if you suspect
Agreed. And I have tried to point myself in that direction numerous times to comfort myself.
Keeping that in mind, I think this is the real McCoy. Y2K x 10.
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