SARS Epidemic May Reemerge, CDC Director Warns

Reuters ^ | 6-18-03

[Prince Charles]

SARS Epidemic May Reemerge, CDC Director Warns

Wed June 18, 2003 03:04 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Like deadly flu epidemics of the past, SARS may reemerge later this year as a global health threat, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

Dr. Julie Gerberding pointed out that infectious diseases like SARS and monkeypox are spread around the world by travelers or by trade in exotic animals.

"This is the new normal: emerging infectious diseases ... that create immediate global concerns because of the movement of people and animals," Gerberding said in a speech to the American Medical Association's annual meeting.

Gerberding compared SARS to flu epidemics early in the last century that appeared to subside, only to erupt again with the change of seasons and kill millions.

"The risk is not over as any moment another patient could emerge," she said.

The World Health Organization said this week the worst was over in the battle against SARS and lifted a travel warning for Taiwan, leaving Beijing as the only place with an advisory in force.

But the United Nations agency said health authorities must stay alert for fresh outbreaks of the disease that killed almost 800 people and infected about 8,500 since it emerged late last year in southern China.

Gerberding said the number of cases was "definitely dwindling" but the Northern Hemisphere's fall and winter could witness another outbreak.

"Our next priority is to develop a rapid diagnostic test," she said. "We now know there are milder forms of the illness where people may not have symptoms. What we don't know is if these people can transmit the virus."

The monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. Midwest this spring caught health authorities by surprise, she said, and showed how the movement of people and animals around the globe posed health risks. There have been roughly 80 non-fatal human cases so far traced to pet prairie dogs, with the infection traced to a Gambian rat imported from Africa.

She said no new human cases of the deadly West Nile virus appeared in the United States so far this spring, though the CDC was tracking bird and mosquito virus carriers and expected the deadly illness to reappear this summer. Last year, there were more than 4,000 human cases and 284 deaths.

[aristeides]

Summer Cough in Taiwan.

[aristeides]

Worrisome SARS developments .

[aristeides]

Encephalitis hits Sars-country. Guangdong province. But it's mosquito-borne, so apparently unrelated to SARS.

[aristeides]

China SARS under control.

[CobaltBlue]

>>Henry Niman of the University of Pittsburg spoke about Prodigy.<<

Do you have a link for that?

[Betty Jo]

It was on February 21-22,1991 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.The group was the Electonic Frontier Foundation .I am still looking for the site that I got it from,be back soon.Leahy was the keynoter, and Niman was on a panel speaking about Prodigy.

[Domestic Church]

"Hey, if all the geezers die off, that makes Social Security that much easier, no?"

It will put a lot of folks in the geriatric industry out of work too...empty the nursing homes etc. Not to mention the major effect it will have on health insurance(can you say national health care, boys & girls? This will result.)

[CobaltBlue]

I searched for "Niman" on the EFF website and turned up this link.
http://www.eff.org/Net_culture/Virtual_community/prodigy_gaffin.article

Using "Leahy" turns up over 500, but using both Leahy and Niman turns up nothing.
http://www.eff.org/

[Betty Jo]

Well, I am still looking.

[Domestic Church]

"It was " ....Frontier Foundation" at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace."

Couldn't pick a creepier foundation or endowment.

[Wordsmith]

You'll see some information related to Niman and Prodigy if you go back and read the posts between Niman and The Great Satan. If interested, do a search on poster "niman". He only ever posted to one thread.

[Wordsmith]

Here's another interesting post from CobaltBlue's link to SI:

"Jerzy is convinced that the mailings were by The Great Satan, who he believes is a scientist who worked for Merck. The FBI seems much more focused on Steven Hatfill. They are also aware of the former Merck employee.

Of interest is The Great Satan's "confession" on The Free Republic.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/778969/96

To: The Great Satan

Satan is a 41-year old white guy?! Who would've thought.... ha ha

95 posted on 10/31/2002 1:43 PM EST by walkingdead

[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: walkingdead

For once, the profilers were right. I'm not wearing a flannel shirt, though.

96 posted on 10/31/2002 1:45 PM EST by The Great Satan

[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 95 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

[Betty Jo]

Thanks, word and church.
Cobalt, I cant find it, but since I wasnt searching last night except under "U of P" and "Niman", I'll get it eventually.

An interesting thing that happens dozens of times a day to me is a window comes up and says "this machine has preformed an illegal operation and will shut down", and it does, just as I'm getting the good stuff.

Is that someone hacking me?

[Betty Jo]

All of your links above are bad news.

To me it says exactly what I have said for years,the bad guys will come up with an unknown,untreatable designer virus that will kill us all eventually.

Bush, Cheny and the whole crew can keep saying it isn't terrorism, but I know they are not telling the truth.

[CobaltBlue]

What's creepy about the Electronic Freedom Foundation?
http://www.eff.org/

I don't agree with all of their positions but I have used them as a resource helping other investors on Silicon Investor. There is a constant war going on between "pump-and-dump" scam artists and the SEC, which uses volunteers from places like SI in order to find them. When a lawsuit is filed, the lawyers cast a wide net trying to bring in people who don't really have anything to do with the case. I've been successful in quashing discovery in several cases.

[Wordsmith]

If you want confirmation of this opinion, check out John Derbyshire's column today at National Review Online. Then go for a walk in the sun! ;-)

[CobaltBlue]

Re: The Great Satan - if you do a search by poster, he/she was posting as recently as yesterday, but when you click on the name, it says the account is banned or suspended.

I thought he/she was banned in 2002. How is he/she still posting?

[Wordsmith]

Poster TGS may have been temporarily suspended in 2002, but he has been posting actively for the past year, all through the war, primarily on matters related to bioterrorism and the anthrax mailings. You can do a search by poster for his screen name and you'll see all his recent posts.

[Betty Jo]

Thanks for the link! Great article.

[CobaltBlue]

Try clicking on the name and see what happens. I get "this account has been banned or suspended."