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To: aristeides
Well, if you search on some of my posts for the past few days, read the links I posted, maybe it would help you to understand where I am coming from, and we could discuss it from the same base of understanding and concern about the lack of solid facts upon which to make conclusions.

One of the problems with the present disclosure situation is that some people are just bewildered, and hazarding guesses about SARS, some are protecting their country's econonic situation, and while it doesn't help in dealing with this, I can understand their concern over the loss of income to vulnerable citizens.

While I am critical of politicians for having trouble with this, many of them do not have the basic understanding of infectious disease that medical professionals do, and many of them have political aides and advisors who are not only too young to have remembered the 1918 pandemic, but the polio epidemics we faced as children, and it is a foreign concept to them. So, I tend to cut them some slack. Most of them,if anything have an "AIDS" concept of communicable disease, and do not have the free time to read the various novels and non-fiction written describing such epidemics and pandemics.

It occurs to me that if these politicians would think more along the lines of what little they know about smallpox and bioterrorism, perhaps they would be more up to the task of staying on top of the story. I am afraid as soon as they hear coronavirus and that is is sort of like the cold virus, they think "oh, no big deal". And, so do many of the public and average press/media people...

And, that helps prevent panic among the populace, of course, but it also interferes with proper action to prevent transmission...
126 posted on 05/29/2003 11:15:44 AM PDT by jacquej
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To: jacquej; All; flutters
Everything you ever wanted to know about SARS but were afraid to ask. Thanks, Flutters
127 posted on 05/29/2003 1:14:24 PM PDT by TaxRelief
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To: jacquej
The people making decisions on what information is released is the CDC, State Health Depts and Hospital Administrations. Yes there may be some politics involved, but let's keep in mind that this is America.

If I had SARS, they could not keep me from calling the press. Quarantine doesn't mean no contact with the world.

Mode of transmission is being studied. Treatment options are already undergoing trials. What do you think we don't know?

128 posted on 05/29/2003 1:20:51 PM PDT by TaxRelief
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