Is SARS a real threat?

[Knight-Dragon]

Originally posted by Stapel
@XIII: Howmany did die in Singapore in traffic since SARS broke out?

Probably less than the 17 deaths reported so far, up till today...

Deaths fr traffic are rather rare here; with the heavy clampdown on private car ownership and all. People are very careful when driving their super-expensive vehicles...

 

[Pongui]

XIII, don't take this the wrong way, but... Singapore is cockroach territory isn't it? I've read that the infections spread across entire floors of hotels and apartment buildings, between strangers, has been blamed on those pervasive insects. Have you heard about that?

Anyway, the best preventative measure against any communicable disease is frequent hand washing, and some hesitation between handling that public washroom doornob and rubbing one's eyes.

 

[Sultan Bhargash]

XIII why the name change?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Originally posted by Sean Lindstrom
XIII, don't take this the wrong way, but... Singapore is cockroach territory isn't it? I've read that the infections spread across entire floors of hotels and apartment buildings, between strangers, has been blamed on those pervasive insects. Have you heard about that?

That's more like HK's case - read of one entire apartment block being affected, possibly thru the sewage system.

Almost all cases in S'pore are fr direct contact - usually fr victims to family members, medical personnel, hospital visitors (in the earliest days when it's still allowed) etc.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Originally posted by Antonius Block
XIII why the name change?

Because I can.

Actually, I was very bored one late night and... The rest is history.

 

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by Sean Lindstrom
XIII, don't take this the wrong way, but... Singapore is cockroach territory isn't it? I've read that the infections spread across entire floors of hotels and apartment buildings, between strangers, has been blamed on those pervasive insects. Have you heard about that?

Singapore in a nutshell

Just as there are no traffic accidents, there are also no cockroaches in Singapore or drug addicts, grafitti etc. for that matter. Prostitutes are registered and Karaoke whore houses have licenses. Parents can sue their children if they don't take care of them. There are LED billboards on highways which calcualte the travel time to various destinations based on live traffic conditions.

Unfortunately there is also no creativity or chewing gum and its a crime to be naked at home. If you're a single mom..hard luck, thats your own fault for being stupid. You cannot name a commercial building without the words "house, center, building, tower or plaza" in the name.

passengers at the airport are subject to IR thermal scanners to check for fever. currently 2500 people with a higher risk of developing SARS are 'imprisoned' in their own homes monitored by live-cams. Offenders are slapped with electronic wristbands which sound an alarm if they break quarantine.

 

[SunTzu]

Everythings fine in Memphis, so for now i'm not worried one bit

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

Originally posted by Antonius Block
1) Ask a creationist where SARS came from. It sure as hell didn't just evolve.

2) If small pox no longer exists, why was our American president recently vaccinated for it? He isn't stupid.

EDIT 3) Welcome to CFC!

1) No one knows where SARS came from. Until we do we just have to assume that it's a new strain or adaptation of a previously know virus and take similar precautions against. Anyone who still buys into creationism is both naive and dumb.

2) Small pox no longer exists anywhere in the world. That is a fact. Yes, Bush is stupid. That is also a fact.

 

[JJP]

Originally posted by Sean Lindstrom
XIII, don't take this the wrong way, but... Singapore is cockroach territory isn't it? I've read that the infections spread across entire floors of hotels and apartment buildings, between strangers, has been blamed on those pervasive insects. Have you heard about that?

I have heard that cockroach theory and I think it could be true. I think that those insects spread other diseases too. So why not SARS?

 

[SunTzu]

the fact is USA and Russia still have smallpox locked away.
I remember reading a while ago that, as everyone already knows about the fears of russian nukes being stolen, well i read that now they think people are swiping diseases, aka smallpox being sold on the black market.

 

[Stapel]

Originally posted by Quokka
So a new strain of virus that has mutated from an animal virus into one that can infect and kill humans is in no way alarming?

Interesting. 3000 people died on 9/11 and that has changed the world forever. The mortality rate of Terrorism is less than the 5% for SARS, so you could argue that it also is overhyped. Traffic also kills more people than Terrorism. Why the big who hah about it?

People in Israel have been informed of suicide bombers by their local media, what if people in other areas had very little interest?
I live in Australia so who cares who dies in Israel as long as its safe to play in traffic here.

I don't think this way, I just find it the utter lack of concern very galling, G-man and Stapel you both seem to be dismissing it as an ' over there, not here' problem. Well its here in Australia and has already had serious effects and not only those to do with health. It's effect on the economy has been huge, especially the travel industry.
The government has already added it to the forcible detainment list and the WHO has listed travel warnings for the areas affected. When the WHO lists a disease as a threat, wouldn't it make sense to believe them?

The effect of SARS on economies is ZERO! The effect of the media blow up is huge! That is the whole point! The chances for me on dying of SARS when going to Australia are very small, when compared to the chances for me dying by the tramline in front of my house. I won't stop leaving the house, just as I won't change my tourist plans for Australia.

It is not lack of concern. It is lack of stupidity.

Just like 9/11: Not the terrible loss of 3000 lives has changed the world. The knowledge of not being save has changed the world. The effects of 9/11 on economy are also blown up. Stock exchange rates went down for only one or two weeks. Not before may 2002 they really lowered. People that blame 9/11 for bad company results, simply cover up their own mismanagement.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

It is being overdone... SARS is about as dangerous as a bad flu.

The only problme is that the health organizations are adapted to the yearly flu and usually have a vaccacine in advance. With SARS, they will need to run behind and play catchup..


btw, my research project is otu the wiondow as I would need to travel to Beijing in August....

 

[IceBlaZe]

I have heard that cockroach theory and I think it could be true. I think that those insects spread other diseases too. So why not SARS?

The cockroach theory is pure nonsense. Cockroaches CAN'T transfer Virii!!

 

[Hitro]

I saw a funny interview with a Professor for Microbiology yesterday. The interviewer countinously asked for horror scenarios and bad news and the Professor always just said that there's absolutely no major threat (so far).

At the end he was asked what he would say to someone who has to travel to East Asia and his answer was:
"What? Of course he should. But he could get killed in a plane crash or in a traffic accident on route to the airport."

 

[Phantom Lord]

Originally posted by Greadius
Well, don't you think if the initial outbreaks of malaria, AIDS, and Cholera were handled like SARS they'd never have become the mass killers they did?

I think that's a little hypothetical. These diseases are so "successful" because they can't be cured or contained.

Malaria is uncurable once you're infected and it's carried by a small insect that's almost impossible to protect from. Only people with a certain mutation are immune to Malaria, but suffer from other effects.

AIDS has a very long incubation time, so it could spread for almost a decade before people realized its fatality. Later on they also realized that it uses a very clever defense strategy that hasn't been dealt with yet. There were huge campaigns going on for years, billions were invested in fighting AIDS, but it still spreads and kills everywhere on earth and especially
heavy in some places in Africa and Asia.

Cholera simply arises from spoiled water, so it's theoretically containable, but practically it is not. Almost every humanitarian desaster is a major suspect for another Cholera outbreak.

All of the three above are responsible for millions of deaths and have been fought for a long time. SARS looks extremely dangerous right now, but the overwhelming media coverage is responsible for that feeling too. In fact is has all features a biological weapon would have if properly designed, but the question is if will last for a long time. Nevertheless I think (and hope) a vaccine will end the problem soon.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by Phantom Lord
Malaria is uncurable once you're infected

Not true anymore (luckily), people here at Tuebingen Max-Planck_institue ahve found a drug that will kill the litttle Plasmodium buggers in two weeks. Both P. falciparum and P. malariae and P. vivax!


Cholera. noone needs to die from that, it is just the bad conditions and lack of money that makes this disease dangerous. Or sheer stupidity when people do NOT go and see a doctor.....

 

[Phantom Lord]

Originally posted by Lt. 'Killer' M.



Not true anymore (luckily), people here at Tuebingen Max-Planck_institue ahve found a drug that will kill the litttle Plasmodium buggers in two weeks. Both P. falciparum and P. malariae and P. vivax!

Now that's good news! I hope it doesn't take years to get the medicine approved by the authorities and I hope those who need can pay it.

Originally posted by Lt. 'Killer' M.
Cholera. noone needs to die from that, it is just the bad conditions and lack of money that makes this disease dangerous. Or sheer stupidity when people do NOT go and see a doctor.....

Exactly, it's the bad conditions and those can't be avoided in situations like earthquakes or ... wars.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Phantom Lord: first clinical test on humans concluded about three months back, all 34 patients had NO trace left of Plasmodium after two weeks, no side effects shown

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by Phantom Lord

Exactly, it's the bad conditions and those can't be avoided in situations like earthquakes or ... wars.

all a matter of money...... the usual... if we wanted to, we could.....

 

[cgannon64]

I saw some guy on the street with a surgical mask, walking around normally.

Some people are insane.