US hits panic button on mystery virus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [India] ^ | SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2003 09:18:29 PM | CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

[rmmcdaniell]

This is further proof that not enough people read the Bible ! Its amazing to me that such a guide for life and death can be ignored as much as it is

Really? The bible specifically predicted the emergence of SARS out of China? I didn't know that!! I thought it only had some vague references to plagues which could be reasonably attributed to many diseases throughout history.

[TightSqueeze]

This is the price you pay for World Globalism. Equality

[aruanan]

The US-based Center of Disease Control said its officials are meeting planes, cargo ships and cruise ships coming either directly or indirectly to the United States from China, Singapore and Vietnam and distributing health alert cards to disembarking passengers.

And what about all those ships transporting illegal Chinese immigrants?

[TightSqueeze]

The staunch resistance of a bacteria to any form of antibiotic is suspicious.

Currently it is being called a virus not a bacteria.

[ellery]

Scary indeed -- god bless and please keep us posted...

[Walkingfeather]

Not the infection rate. If you surrive you basically will have no lung compacity. That means you lie in bed on a resperator.

[stars & stripes forever]

This is further proof that not enough people read the Bible ! Its amazing to me that such a guide for life and death can be ignored as much as it is.

Most people don't realize that Psalm 91 is the antidote for the plague....works everytime!

[GovernmentShrinker]

It does indeed, and I haven't seen any info describing WHO is dying from this thing. 54 of 1550 infected have ides -- are these mainly the very elderly, the very young, those with other serious health problems? With those stats, I'm guessing that this disease doesn't pose a serious threat to otherwise strong healthy people, but I'd sure like to see some hard info.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

I thought it only had some vague references to plagues which could be reasonably attributed to many diseases throughout history.

Quit thinking about it and read it ........It don't specifically predict any one disease it tells of MANY !

because you see he said Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
I consider myself one of his children
You must open your mind and spirit to the interpretation of the bible or your just reading and not understanding

My opinion alone is not an answer but it is mine through interpretation!

[GovernmentShrinker]

Er, that was supposed to read "54 of 1500 infected have died" -- freeping past my bedtime makes for very bad typing.

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

The public urgently needs to know what the AMERICAN health authorities are doing — if anything at all — to ensure that this disease does not strike and spread in this country. "Asking" people to quarantine themselves and not telling us in which cities the suspected cases are located, because "it would be unfair" to the sick person is in my mind beyond unacceptable. And that is what is happening in at least one state that I know of.

[honway]

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsmyst273193673mar27,0,1511859.story?coll=ny%2Dhealth%2Dheadlines


After weeks of prodding, Chinese health officials yesterday admitted to the World Health Organization that at least 792 people in that country have contracted SARS since November, and 34 have died. This more than doubled the previously acknowledged number of Chinese cases, bringing the global total to 1,323 cases, 52 of them fatal.

Chinese officials said yesterday that the first known case surfaced Nov. 16 in Foshan City, a modern boomtown that is home to 3.3 million people and a key tourist center. In 2002, the Chinese government named Foshan the nation's "Healthy Status City."

Some world health authorities have expressed off-the-record anger at China's lack of openness on these issues. After two weeks of public diplomacy, WHO yesterday issued a statement in which it "called on Beijing to be more cooperative."

[capitan_refugio]

The survival rate apparently is closer to 96%. RW, practice extreme cleanliness to avoid contagions. No hand shaking. Stay away, if possible, or minimize contact in crowded public places. This virus may very well become a pandemic.

Although I never knew him (well, well before my time), I lost a great uncle to the Spanish Flu of 1918. My grandfather told me about his younger brother; how his brother came home from high school one afternoon, with chills and a deep cough. Basically he coughed up blood and died overnight. The 1918 pandemic tended to take the younger victims. This one is not so discriminating.

[norcalvet]

Releasing it in your own country for research purposes is not unheard of. Rightly or wrongly, the U.S. Government has practiced this in the past. China has even less concern if a few thousand of the common people get sick or die "in the interests of science."

Also, why be concerned if you also manufactured the cure? You say no one knows enough to do that kind of biological engineering yet? After mapping the human genome, I wouldn't under-estimate the capabilities of a superpower that recently acquired a significant amount of technology from us, and has certainly collaborated with the Soviets/Russians.

[TightSqueeze]

I'm guessing that this disease doesn't pose a serious threat to otherwise strong healthy people, but I'd sure like to see some hard info.

The largest group of cases are health care workers, reasonably healthy people if you ask me.

[Centurion2000]

Death rate seems kind of wimpy for a bioweapon.

It's still doing better than Spanish Flu .... I wonder how far this will advance in the next 6 months.

[FITZ]

It almost sounds as if it's been engineered.

New viruses develop all the time and bacteria evolve that are resistant to antibiotics. I wonder why it's taking so long for a vaccine to be developed since they are able to make flu vaccines. I know they have to go through testing but maybe they should speed up the process and make the vaccine available.