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hubei_canuk · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 240 Location: hubei china

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gerard · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 581 Location: Internet Cafe

I apologize--I did realize you were quoting a rumor and they weren't your own words.

Alarming story.

hubei_canuk · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 240 Location: hubei china

kimo · Joined: 16 Feb 2003 Posts: 668

Back to the original query about the capital.

Last night I had one student of eight. Another stopped me to say he was writing a report. The others I was told went home. My former colleague called to say his private school had cancelled classes and he is to call back about the fourth of May. I witnessed that both RenMin Da Xue and Li Gong Da Xue and Qinghua Da Xue, as I heard, are not permitting people on their campuses without a valid reason or ID. One of my local, shopping stores was crammed full with people buying mostly the basic necessities, rice, bread, noodles, dry goods, milk, drinks, and whatever they could cram into their baskets. I just have not noticed before people shopping like they were last night - me included.

The night before I saw an ambulance crew pick up a 30ish aged guy from a car wash who walked to the vehicle without assistance. The two crew members were wearing white, contamination suits covered from head to foot.

I got the feeling last night that this city could be closed down.

hubei_canuk · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 240 Location: hubei china

Egas · Guest

Well, still no SARS cases here at ISB, but the whole town has gone off the deep end. I just rang my girlfriend, who works in downtown Beijing, and she says she is the only one at the office today! (She's Chinese)

Panic creates more panic. Part of the problem with making wholescale pronouncements like closing the schools for two weeks, is that it adds massive fuel to the fires of panic that are already at fever pitch. It seems to me that even the government has lost it. Unless they know something that I don't know, school aged children are not at high risk from SARS. I know some kids have got it from their parents, but I am not aware of any childen dying from it in any country so far. If I am wrong, please correct me. Thus, assuming I am correct about no children dying, why the hell has the government closed schools? It just defies all logic and all the data.

The only thing I can put it down to is panic - something I'm seeing a lot more of than people sick with this desease.

Hamish · Joined: 20 Mar 2003 Posts: 333 Location: PRC

My wife awoke with a 37.8 temp and some stomach trouble this morning. We informed our leaders. There was a momentary, "Holy S++T!" and then reason.

We have stayed home and the little bug has run its course.

Thus far, neither of us is dead.

Baoding is calm.

Regards,

gmat · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 274 Location: S Korea

Egas: I think you are correct regarding children. The only data I saw which breaks down Sars patients by age was released in Hong Kong, a week or so ago. There were no deaths from the 72 cases in children (0 to 14 years old) at that time in Hong Kong.

chinasyndrome · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2003 12:05 pm Post subject:

Hi guys. A mixed reaction in Shantou (near Shenzhen and HK). 2 deaths 3 weeks ago, both got it in Guangzhou and came home. 7 ill 2 weeks ago and all recovering, although 2 old people had multiple pre-existing problems that are still being treated.

Very mixed reaction from the foreign teachers here. There are about 25 foreigners in town. Some of them are in full-blown panic. The 12 at our school are updated daily (one of our 'true' friends here is the chairman of a big hospital) and no one is overly worried at present. We developed a stepped policy for evacuation in case it goes full-on, and the school has been absolutely outstanding about keeping us informed.

I told the teachers here about some of your postings and the situations you're in. Everyone in the team sends their regards (they specifically asked me to post that) and we hope it passes you and yours by. A few of us have foreign friends in Beijing who are very reliable and we emailed them this afternoon, asking them to post here only what they know from their reliable contacts (1 is VERY well connected and has proven in past to be an absolute goldmine for accurate health information).

Hope to be able to get you some good info soon.

yaco · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 473

A funny aside ( well maybe not so funny ) about SARS that occurred today.

I was having my apartment inspected and cleaned by 3 staff ( they did not tell me it was about SARS until I asked ) whilst simultaneously the cleaner was cleaning the front yard of my apartment ( not my mess it comes from the dormitories upstairs ) spitting away in ' True Chinese Style .'

To say that the 3 staff in my apartment were embarrassed was an understatement. Theie faces were scarlet !!!!!! But then again old habits die hard !!!!!!!!

Steiner · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 573 Location: Hunan China

As for me an hour west of Changsha, everyone has had a bunch of meetings about SARS but still no good reports of anything here in our small town.

I've heard that they have someone locked up in the hospital because he has a bad cough, but there's no way to test for SARS here yet. I'm most worried about coughing in town and being sent to the hospital where I'll no doubt acquire something truly ghastly, probably with a lot of rashes Sad

During my afternoon classes I thought my computer was on fire, but the smoke I smelled was coming from some stuff they were burning in the halls. It looks like the seed balls from a sycamore tree and the officials told us that they knew it doesn't do a lick of good but this way if students get SARS they can say that they took necessary precautions Confused

Anyone else have this same stuff burning nearby? Probably the cancer rate here will quadruple from it five years down the road.

hubei_canuk · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 240 Location: hubei china

hubei_canuk · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 240 Location: hubei china

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arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

In the west as well, young children are often the cariers of diseases, and their parents don't have the resistance, and get sick.
But in your comment on Egas, I haven't heard any information countering....SARS still isn't close to being the biggest killer, far more people are getting and dying from other pneumonias. But at least none of my students ask me about Iraq now.

Ajarn Miguk · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 227 Location: TDY As Assigned

Egas, I'm still waiting for an answer to my earlier question. How are you so sure you "didn't meet anyone with SARS" when you took your little walk a few days back?