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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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kimo
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
Posts: 668
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 Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 10:33 am Post subject: |
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The following is taken from the Washington Post article Hamish linked us to above:
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Jeffrey Koplan, an infectious-disease expert at Emory University in Atlanta, noted that because there is no good way to test for the SARS virus, there may be large numbers of people who become infected but never get sick or become only mildly ill. That would mean the death rate would be much lower. Nevertheless, Koplan said that whatever the true death rate, SARS is a dangerous disease that warrants stringent countermeasures.
"If people think it has to be 20 percent to be concerned, as opposed to 4 percent, wake up. Whether it's 4 percent or 20 percent, it's killing more people than anything we see on a regular basis," said Koplan, a former CDC director. |
To those of you who said we were overreacting a week or so ago because the death rate was only 4 pecent or so, I wonder what you think now. An analogy would be guns in the U.S. Only a small percentage are used to kill people. Right? Nonetheless they kill people. That's why they are better off the streets in my opinion. 4 percent and just the thought of being one of the suffering 96 percent was enough for me to be cautious.
Thanks for the link Hamish. a little more depth than the other stuff I've seen. |
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
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gmat
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 274
Location: S Korea
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2003 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Interesting link Hamish. It must be a little out of date, however, as it stated a death rate for SARS of under 10%. New study last week put the date rate at closer to 15%. |
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
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Location: PRC
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
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Location: PRC
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 10:12 am Post subject: |
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Spitters told to clean up their act
Beijing
May 15 2003
China is attempting to stamp out spitting with a campaign against the traditional practice, which doctors say spreads diseases such as the flu-like SARS virus and highly contagious tuberculosis.
Beijing and Guangzhou, two cities battling severe acute respiratory syndrome, have sent more than 1000 sanitary workers onto the streets to police spitting, characterised by a hawking sound that now sends nervous passers-by scurrying for fear of catching the deadly virus.
Violators would be fined 50 yuan ($A9) for sharing their phlegm or urinating in public, up from five yuan, the official Xinhua news agency said.
"Though it is a terrible habit, spitting has a long history in China. Some people even think if they don't spit they won't be popular," Liu Junzhuo, a professor of public health at Peking University, said.
The World Health Organisation says China has about 5 million tuberculosis sufferers. More than 5000 Chinese have caught SARS.
- Reuters
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/14/1052885288420.html |
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
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Location: PRC
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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| Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 9:36 am Post subject: |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 19, 2003
As SARS Eases, Beijing Classes Resume
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
EIJING, May 18 � With the threat of SARS apparently easing, Beijing students will start returning to school over the next several weeks, officials said today.
Classes were suspended on April 22, when more than 100 new cases of SARS were being reported each day in the city and quarantine measures were starting.
On Thursday, high school seniors, many of whom are preparing for college exams, will return to class. Later, primary and secondary students in suburban areas will return, and by July 14 all the city schools will be operating, with summer vacation put off to July 25, city newspapers said.
For several days now, Beijing has reported fewer than 50 new cases per day, with just 19 on Saturday and 17 today. But the World Health Organization has warned that some doctors may be failing to diagnose milder cases, which could partly explain the drop in reported numbers. This could be dangerous because such patients are not isolated and could spread the virus to others.
China has reported 5,223 cases with 284 fatalities. Today, Singapore noted its first new case in 19 days, ending hopes that the W.H.O. would declare the country SARS-free after 20 days. |
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2003 6:06 am Post subject: |
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This is today's WHO report on China's efforts against SARS. In spite of comments posted elswhere by ESL Guru, there is no indication I have found of WHO criticism of China.
Update 59 - Report on Guangxi (China) visit, situation in Taiwan, risk of SARS transmission during air travel
19 May 2003
Report on Guangxi (China) visit
Guangxi Province appears to be responding well to its relatively small SARS outbreak, with the disease given high priority by both populations and health officials. This conclusion was reached by WHO experts following a joint field visit with Ministry of Health officials. To date, Guangxi has reported 22 probable SARS cases and 3 deaths.
Some concern had been expressed that this �poverty province�, with its weak health infrastructure, would not be able to cope with a SARS outbreak. �We found the province well mobilized. There appears to be no major epidemic there,� said WHO team leader CK Lee. The team returned last Saturday to Beijing after a week-long visit in the province.
Experts found an effective surveillance system set up to detect cases. Diagnostic procedures, treatment, and infection control at all hospitals visited was considered adequate. While no evidence of concealment of cases was found, the numbers of probable SARS cases could be higher due to problems with how cases are being defined.
The team found that two separate clusters of SARS cases, dating from December and January, had recently been detected by local health officials following a review of hospital records.
Guangxi�s surveillance system, which is similar to that of Hebei Province, relies on active, rigorous community-based surveillance, close checking of migrants returning home, and quarantine for two weeks in certain cases. An adequate case reporting system has been set up, with detailed reports sent daily from each city or prefecture to the provincial level.
According to official records, some 260,000 migrant workers returned to Guangxi between April 1 and May 8, of whom 200,000 workers came from neighbouring Guangdong province. Surveillance checkpoints have been set up at main entry points into the province to register these workers. Screening teams staffed by township hospital doctors also visit villages to monitor returning workers.
Hospital management appeared to be effective. Due to scrupulous infection control, no health care workers have been reported as infected. However, some measures taken may be unwarranted, unsustainable or even inappropriate. For example, health care workers are using three layers of hats, gowns, gloves and masks. Two of the three masks are made up of a 12-layer gauze material.
Experts are also concerned that the numbers of reported cases may be low, due to how cases are being classified under the probable, suspect and �under observation� categories. WHO experts are further investigating this issue and working with the Ministry of Health to bring the national standard case definitions more in line with WHO case definitions.
In a separate development, WHO has requested that joint research be undertaken to investigate the origins of the coronavirus to predict its possible reintroduction into the community.
Regards, |
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kathleen
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Posts: 38
Location: Nanjing
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2003 9:57 am Post subject: read between the lines |
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"Experts are also concerned that the numbers of reported cases may be low" excerpted from the WHO statement
There is some weirdness going on. For example, here in Nanjing, we have 8 suspected cases that have been classified as such for over 10 days. Two of our suspected cases have been released and our two confirmed cases remain in hospital. There is virtually no news about the status of these cases.
Furthermore, a friend who works for the government told me that their Internet access had been blocked at work so that the only way she could get news was online at home.
The quick reduction on the number of new cases being reported daily is a bit fishy. We will probably never know the truth. |
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