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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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 Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:16 pm Post subject: Actual scientific DATA and references on SARS |
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I hope people will post authoritative references and hard data in this thread, and no rumor or personal opinion. I have been discussing this issue with some friends in the US who are VERY experienced medical practitioners and medical academics and must conclude that the time has come for me to take this situation quite seriously. I have been wrong to believe that the issue was essentially media hype. This disease is serious business. It something that justifies a contemplated response. It is not a biological atom bomb and can be defended against with comparative ease, but steps must be taken. I think we should use this thread for the communication of straight facts and researched ideas from educated sources.
To quote a note from one sawbones I know.
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Yes, it is a big deal. When a new virus appears, nobody has adequate immunity. Most (90%) who get it will still survive because they are healthy enough or lucky enough, etc. Note, however that many of the deaths reported (perhaps this is a media slant) are middle aged--not the elderly. Most (ordinary) pneumonia deaths are in the elderly and/or chronically ill. Most pneumonia deaths are from bacterial infections. As far as I have heard, none of the outbreaks so far have been in nursing homes. I do not think the nursing home residents will fare well if they become infected with the SARS virus (i.e. the death rate will be higher than 5-10%).
I think our perspective has to include the experience of the 1918 influenza pandemic. I do not know what the death rate was among infected individuals then, but I know of at least one village on the chain that had 1 or 2 survivors when the burial crew arrived from a ship (in Kanakanak (a hospital in Alaska JB) I took care of an old Swede who had been on the crew).
It's true that we have wonderful science to help: the virus has been identified, and presumably there is frantic work toward preparing a vaccine. But that will not help poor people in poor countries, and it will not be available soon enough to help most of us if the virus travels. |
For a start, check out today�s article in the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/27/health/27SARS.html?ex=1052534239&ei=1&en=71557fc7f5154bb4
Regards, |
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TEECHER
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Posts: 47
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2003 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Greetings Hamish, Thankyou for the good links. Gmat and some others have been offering nothing BUT" actual scientific data and references" from the get-go. Welcome Aboard. |
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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2003 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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I am aware of most of the great work some people have been doing on this forum and thank them for it. I just lose track of where to find it among the various threads, and hope we can use something like this one as a library for specific and authoritative data and references.
Like this one.
International: W.H.O. Lifts Vietnam Advisory
NYT
By KEITH BRADSHER
The World Health Organization lifted its advisory today against travel to Vietnam and said that SARS infections appeared to be dwindling in 3 other nations.
Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/28/international/asia/28CND-ASIA.html?tntemail1
Regards, |
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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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Hamish
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 333
Location: PRC
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| Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2003 9:18 am Post subject: |
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sars29apr29,1,1927275.story?coll=la%2Dhome%2Dheadlines
Despite such panic, some scientists said Monday the threat from SARS has been overblown.
"I think there has been overreaction" to SARS, said David Baltimore, a leading AIDS researcher who won the 1975 Nobel Prize in medicine for his work on how viruses cause disease. In contrast to AIDS, which kills virtually everyone it infects who does not receive treatment, 94% of SARS patients recover. |
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china_gurl
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Posts: 54
Location: Shanxi Province, PRC
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| Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2003 9:56 am Post subject: The Chinese don't trust the Government |
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... with reason, of course.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50743-2003Apr28.html
Cheers, I want to get out of here.
Incidentally, this is how I get MY information about SARS:
www.google.ca
Search News
"sars shanxi"
Sort by Date
That gives me up to the minute news coverage, provided it's not from BBC. |
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once again
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 815
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| Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2003 10:39 am Post subject: |
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| The Hong Kong government has a website at http://www.info.gov.hk. Go there and click on the box for A Typical Pneumonia. It gives a fairly comprehensive breakdown of the days latest figures here. The one thing is does not tell you is how people actually caught the disease�my guess on this being that in many cases it falls in to patient confidentially clauses etc. or is si | |
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