Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Roseray]

It is so scaring that the epidemic virus spread all over the world. Today all schools are closed in Hong Kong. Few companies have to close down a few days for disinfection. Some people who infected the virus died for respiring disfunction. Many people wear masks in the street to prevent being infected. Life is so vulnerable indeed!
I hope the virus will soon be under control and everything can be back to normal!!

[obelix]

How come so much of this weird stuff starts in Hong Kong? It was only a few years ago that they had to kill about 10 million chickens there because some kind of chicken disease had crossed over to humans. Also there have been several epidemics of very bad 'flu in years past that also started in Hong Kong and was called, in Europe, "Hong Kong flu" or Asian Flu.
Perhaps it is because so many people and animals are all crowded together in such a small space.
What do you think?
By the way, this disease, called S.A.R.S in Canada is starting to spread in the Toronto area.
Panic Stations!

[Diana]

I hope they find a cure soon before anymore people die. I hope Pugachev V. is okay. He lives in Canada. So far, there has been no report of SARS on my island and I live near the Asian region.

[Roseray]

I don't know whether China should be blame for the outbreak of this deadly virus. Why I say this? This virus attack happened in Guangzhou, China on November and has caused many people dead. However, the Chinese government successfully covered up the incident. Not until the outbreak of virus in Hong Kong alerts the WHO to take it seriously.
Under investigation, a professor who worked in a famous hospital in Guangzhou has infected this virus while treating the patients who have the atypical pneumonia. All doctors in the hospital have come down with this virus but he seemed healthy at that time. Unaware of the incubation of this virus, he made up his mind to attend a wedding in Hong Kong. After reaching Hong Kong, he settled himself in a hotel. However, the virus started to work. He became sneeze and cough while he was in the lift of the hotel. Soon, he went to one of the hospital in Hong Kong for help and told the doctors there he thought he had come down with the mystery virus which caused disfunction of the respiratory system and it was highly infected to humans. Not later than two days, he died of this virus. Luckily, the doctors there who quarantined him while treating him was not infected.
However, the people who lived in the hotel were infected. One of them sent to hospital where the doctors did not know anything about the virus were infected afterwards. Another dweller in the hotel flew back Canada and was found she had been infected with the virus died and her family, family doctor and doctors in hospital were all infected. Two hospitals are temporarily close down. It seems that the epidemic virus is non-stopping to spread to the world.
The WHO reprimands China not giving actual data of the casualties to them and refused them entering Gaungzhou to investigate the matter.
I think transparency is important and fair to others though it will damage one's image and economy. Although Hong Kong tourism is seriously damge, I do appreciate the way the government cooperates with the WHO and keeps the transparency of the matter to the world.

Rose

[Diana]

The virus started in China?? OH NO!!! Wing is in China right now. I hope Wing is okay.

[wing]

Diana, I'm still alive.
In JiangWi province one SARS case and a possible infection were reported. It is believed that is a cluster of people who work in GuangDong, Shanghai and other areas with the present of SARS return home and refuse to be in quarantine.

[pugachevV]

It seems to me that, with unrestricted air travel, all governments should be more careful when they let people in to visit their country. It is very easy for a disease that starts in Beijing or London to be carried to New York or Sydney in less than one day.
If the authorities in China had been more aware of this disease they could have stopped its spread.
Toronto, Canada had an outbreak of it, brought in by a traveller from China, it is believed, but they were able to prevent it spreading into the general population.
Perhaps they were just lucky, this time.

[wing]

I have checked and compared the weather in Toronto to Beijing's and Guang Dong's at CNN.com. It seems that China has a lot of bad luck in coping with the epidemic.

Have the ice melted in Ontario yet, PugachevV?