Then how do you explain the 218 people that got infected in the same building? A person infected (that did not know it was) visited parents a couple of times.. That's it.

A couple of days later, everyone in the building got infected.

I compiled this from CDC data.

Date Cases Deaths
4/1 1804 62
3/31 1622 58
3/29 1550 54
3/28 1485 53
3/27 1408 53
3/26 1323 49
3/25 487 17
3/24 456 17
3/22 386 11
3/21 350 10
3/20 306 10
3/19 264 9
3/18 219 4
3/17 167 4

The problem is with China. The government is hiding everything from the public and it's extremely hard for the scientists to get information about the outbreak. This means the cases could be higher. Yesterday we learned that 9 more people died from SARS. This bring the number of death to 75

No newspaper in China is mentionning the SARS outbreak and if you search SARS on google in China, you'll get a 404.

Damn communists.. :1orglaugh This is not helping their cause.

Comparitively, it's not spreading quickly. You have to be exposed to it for HOURS (generally in an enclosed place) to actually contract it.. It's certainly not spreading as quickly as AIDS. And yes it's brand new, but they've isolated it as a coronavirus. A strain of the common cold. More vicious, yes, but not anything unmanagable by today's standards... Hell, the damn thing would have died out if this was 100 years ago and worldwide travel by airplane was not an option. The only reason it seems to "spread quickkly" is because worldwide travel in a short period of time IS possible. And really, consider the number of people who travel on airplanes every day... Now consider the small percentage of those who've actually come into contact with SARS. Peanuts, comparitively.

There are what, over a BILLION people in China? A few THOUSAND cases of SARS isn't even has worrysome to them as an outbreak of the common flu. It's minor, relatively speaking.

Reading suggestion: The Plague by Camus :glugglug

And if it wasn't SARS, or Spanish Flu, it would be something else. It's nature cleaning house. There is ALWAYS some bad disease, some horrible illness that's poised to destroy humanity. It was just never as publicized before. Hell even 30 years ago nobody would have given a shit and it would all have gone away.. Or it would have killed a bunch of people. Only difference is people are more out "in the world" today so they're more likely to be in contact with infected people. In essence, it's our own society that has caused these epidemics, if you think about it.

i'm too tried to make a full response. tomorrow. but you are wrong. especially comparing it hiv (not aids lol). doesn't make any sense - silly in fact. might as well compare it to cancer.

bah...

AIDS.

I await your response with my interest piqued :) I rather enjoy discussing such with someone who I would consider to have comperable knowledge on the subject :) I've studied genetics and whatnot for 8 years now, specializing in viral genetics etc, so it will be enjoyable to say the least! Btw, do you have icq? I would very much appreciate it if you contact me. I think I have some articles you'd be interested in (I love kindred spirits!)

aids isn't a virus... it's a condition.

good night :glugglug

True that.

I'd say it's extremely worrysome to the people who get it and to their families who have to watch them die.

I understand what you're saying LadyMischief but I also think that down-playing this will do nothing other than cause more infections - and because of it, deaths.
It doesn't hurt for people to be aware of a disease and take precautions to keep themselves and their families safe.
Chiding them for being concerned hurts more than it helps.

True, but the virus that causes aids can attack healthy immune systems :)

I'm not trying to downplay it. I KNOW how serious it is.. my daughter was a diagnosed case, and she picked it up on an airplane.. (only her brother caught it though, and fortunately he had an okay time of it, she was DEATHLY ill). However, I don't think it's worth the extreme panic people are feeling. I understand being scared about it, but it seems every single thing people say about it contributes to the panic, and that certainly isn't going to be benificial in educating OR helping people cope with it.

Finally coming to see me eh? (Mountains!)

We don't live far from Ft. Detrick, a few years ago they had some kind of "outbreak" there and closed up a whole building. People who were still alive where left in there

So the story goes, nobody really knows for sure. But next time you come to Frederick, visit Ft. Detrick, drive in take your first left and your second right, look a huge building with bricks in door and window and ask question.

See how fast you will have to leave Ft. Detrick :1orglaugh