[HELLRAISER II]

Can you say "The Stand".

[iceskater]

Hey per loin, did you see this one?

[blam]

" Or is their goal to confuse health officials and prevent them from learning the true cause of this dreaded disease?"

These Chinese actions sure lend more credence to these suspicions.

Other than buying surgical masks, how does a family prepare?

[jnarcus]

Death rate is hghest in those countries and cities were hygiene is not what it is in the US---handing washing is not a common occurrence throughout the world. SARS no matter the origin is similar to the common cold and the best way to avoid it or limit its effects is to practise the usual extra and washing during flu season

[_Jim]

This is more evidence that SARS may be much worse

There is MORE evidence to say that SARS is coming under control ...

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

"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%. "

This growth in estimated mortality rate, as experience develops, is consistent with reporting of major natural disasters. If you think about it, when a large earthquake or major storm occurs, early reports list small numbers of casualties, and then over the next several days, more complete data is reported.

In this case, the reporting delays have been increased by the reflexive suppression of bad news by the Chinese government, but even without that, the extent of this epidemic, and its severity, remain to be determined. Given the estimate of at least a year before effective vaccines can be developed (RIGHT - - - just like we have an effective vaccine for the common cold!) I would take this news very seriously, and do some reading on how past epidemics (e.g. the post-WWI "Spanish Influenza") were handled, and work from there.

[aimhigh]

What I would like to know is why China is hiding SARS patients ..

Get serious. China's government says there is no God, trust us to provide your every need. They have to lie, or else their godlessness is exposed.

[Born to Conserve]

The death rates mentioned are for those who show the syndrome, not for those who get the virus. The rate at which people who have the virus are showing the syndrome has not been reported, that I have seen.

[rightwingreligiousfanatic]

Click Here for Michael Fumento's take on this. He's a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases. I heard him interviewed on Dennis Prager's radio show last week and he characterized SARS as "MASS HYSTERIA".

He cited the statistics for influenza (ordinary flu) deaths in the USA at around 35,000 a year. 35,000! From the flu!

SARS has a long way to go before becoming worth worrying about in his opinion.

It is just that the label "mysterious" in the current climate of world events (terrorism) inflates the perceived danger to a ridiculous level.....

[NautiNurse]

The mystery I can't figure out---how did this topic end up in Crime/Corruption?

[Luna]

Mortal life is 100% fatal. Should we start panicking because we all know we're going to die at some point? While I have concerns about SARS, I hope I have enough sense not to be swept into the melodramatic media's take on it. And for some reason I can't explain, I don't trust the CDC.

[TheLion]

The latest from CDC

FACT SHEET
Basic Information About SARS
April 16, 2003, 12:30 PM ET


A new disease called SARS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a new disease called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that has recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. As of April 13, about 190 cases of SARS had been reported in the United States. This fact sheet provides basic information about the disease and what is being done to combat its spread.

Symptoms of SARS

In general, SARS begins with a fever greater than 100.4°F (>38.0°C). Other symptoms may include headache, an overall feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also experience mild respiratory symptoms. After 2 to 7 days, SARS patients may develop a dry cough and have trouble breathing.

How SARS spreads

The primary way that SARS appears to spread is by close person-to-person contact. Most cases of SARS have involved people who cared for or lived with someone with SARS, or had direct contact with infectious material (for example, respiratory secretions) from a person who has SARS. Potential ways in which SARS can be spread include touching the skin of other people or objects that are contaminated with infectious droplets and then touching your eye(s), nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets onto themselves, other people, or nearby surfaces. It also is possible that SARS can be spread more broadly through the air or by other ways that are currently not known.

Who is at risk for SARS

Cases of SARS continue to be reported mainly among people who have had direct close contact with an infected person, such as those sharing a household with a SARS patient and health-care workers who did not use infection control procedures while taking care of a SARS patient. In the United States, there is no indication of community spread at this time. CDC continues to monitor this situation very closely.

Possible cause of SARS

Scientists at CDC and other laboratories have detected a previously unrecognized coronavirus in patients with SARS. The new coronavirus is the leading hypothesis for the cause of SARS, however, other viruses are still under investigation as potential causes.

CDC RECOMMENDATIONS

CDC has issued recommendations and guidelines for people who may be affected by this outbreak.

For individuals considering travel to affected parts of Asia:

CDC advises that people planning elective or nonessential travel to mainland China and Hong Kong, Singapore, and Hanoi, Vietnam may wish to postpone their trips until further notice. Visit the Travelers' Health web site for more information about CDC’s advice to travelers.

For individuals who think they might have SARS:

People with symptoms of SARS (fever greater than 100.4°F [>38.0°C] accompanied by a cough and/or difficulty breathing) should consult a health-care provider. To help the health-care provider make a diagnosis, tell them about any recent travel to places where SARS has been reported or whether there was contact with someone who had these symptoms

For family members caring for someone with SARS:

CDC has developed interim infection control recommendations for patients with suspected SARS in the household. These basic precautions should be followed for 10 days after respiratory symptoms and fever are gone. During that time, SARS patients are asked to limit interactions outside the home (not go to work, school, or other public areas).

For health-care workers:

Transmission of SARS to health-care workers appears to have occurred after close contact with sick people before recommended infection control precautions were put into use. CDC has issued interim infection control recommendations for health-care settings see Interim Domestic Infection Control Guidance in the Health-Care and Community Setting for Patients with Suspected SARS page as well as for the management of exposures to SARS in health-care and other institutional settings, see Domestic Guidance for Management of Exposures to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) for Healthcare and Other Institutional Settings.

What CDC is doing about SARS

CDC is working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners in a global effort to address the SARS outbreak. For its part, CDC has taken the following actions:

Activated its Emergency Operations Center to provide round-the-clock coordination and response.
Committed more than 300 medical experts and support staff to work on the SARS response.
Deployed medical officers, epidemiologists, and other specialists to assist with on-site investigations around the world.
Provided ongoing assistance to state and local health departments in investigating possible cases of SARS in the United States.
Conducted extensive laboratory testing of clinical specimens from SARS patients to identify the cause of the disease.
Initiated a system for distributing health alert notices to travelers who may have been exposed to cases of SARS.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/factsheet.htm

[jeremiah]

As the hands cover the face in the time honored way of high schoolers protesting a horrible call at the Friday night basketball game......(Bull-chit). There is no epidemic, it is a virus that will pass away as quickly as they do. Unless of course the media sees fit to keep it blown out of proportion. Something like 36,000 people die every year from the Flu in America alone, when this reaches that level, we can start talking about the epidemic of SARS.

[jetson]

The scariest book I ever read was the "Coming Plague". Those little DNA strands in viruss' can be nasty little buggers.

[jetson]

Virus bugs don't like acidity. When Sars gets close, make your system acidic and drink coloidal silver.

[BJungNan]

SARS PREVENTION

Don't Do This!

[thinking]

When you consider how easy the medical staff are becoming infected, one should take SARS very seriously.

A man from the area south of Rochester, NY, attended a baseball game in Toronto last week, now has SARS.