New Health Worry for China as SARS Hits the Hinterland

New York Times ^ | 4-21-03 | JOSEPH KAHN & ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

[friendly]

A vast endemic reservoir of SARS is soon to torture the world.

[Judith Anne]

Excellent, thank you for posting.

[TBall]

Wow what a difference a week makes. From what I can tell there is at least a ten-fold increase in the number of SARS threads with an even bigger increase in replies

[Prince Charles]

Clearly, this disease has now spread far and wide in China and beyond.

[Judith Anne]

10-fold increase in China, since they opted to use more accurate figures, and since China is only semi-lying instead of telling complete whoppers.

[Judith Anne]

Yes.

[Prince Charles]

The level of interest is the same -- it's just that war news has settled down, so that makes it appear that there are more SARS threads now.

[boris]

An interesting sidelight is that if Hong Kong had not been returned to Chinese jurisdiction, it would probably have suffered less--or at least later--in the SARS epidemic.

I am starting to worry that the word 'pandemic' will soon be bandied about.

Ironic that the 'six billionth' human was recently born. I wonder how many will be left?

--Boris

[Judith Anne]

SARS is going to be a huge story. FReepers will have some of the earliest and most accurate information to be found anywhere on the internet.

[RockyMtnMan]

Really huge, that ONE flight attend was potientially contagious in a closed air system for over 2 weeks with other people! Just imagine how many people are walking about that are contagious as well.

[Prince Charles]

Yep. The death rate is about 7% -- for folks who have had the benefit of being hospitalized. Out in the country the unwashed masses will be dropping at a rate double that, I'd bet.

[RockyMtnMan]

If this becomes an epidemic/pandemic no health system in the world will be able to keep pace.

[RockyMtnMan]

If this becomes an epidemic/pandemic no health system in the world will be able to keep pace.

[Dysart]

"If this becomes an epidemic/pandemic no health system in the world will be able to keep pace"


You can say that again. Does anyone here know how those hospitalized are being treated? Full ventilation? Or just fluids and o2 as needed? Can't think of anything else really.

[RockyMtnMan]

A very good friend of mine is a doctor and I've had quite a few discussions about this type of scenerio. SARS exhibits all the signs of a worst case scenerio if the death rate is truely higher than is being reported by China. I have no reason to believe China has yet to come clean with the real statistics. Stats are the best weapon the CDC has with a virus like this.

There are NO treatments for viruses, just medication that boosts the bodies immune system.

[First Amendment]

Just anecdotal, I've read a lot of "intubation" - the figure 15-20% pops into my mind - and the story of the nurse from Viet Nam had her throat sliced....

[Dysart]

For those who have never had any form of pneumonia, let me tell ya, it's a miserable way to alomost die. I had dbl P in 2000 and I shudder at the thought of it.(i'm 37 too!) Think I'll hole up in my house for several weeks or months with my tinfoil mask .

[Dysart]

"alomost" is more commonly known as "almost".

[Bluewave]

I believe your post will live on as an understatement. The quicker we all know all the facts, the quicker we can begin to take precautions for ourselves and our families.

We've seen GWB and John Ashcroft in action to combat terrorism. Now we need to see some real action in this SARS battle.

The wife bought some plastic Easter Eggs from China tonight at Walmart. It doesn't take much of an imagination to wonder if that was a smart purchase. She decided to microwave them and put them in the closet until next year.

I'm not that paranoid, yet?, but I see it coming. Self-isolation will be the word of the day by the end of summer.