Posted on 04/14/2003 5:48:24 PM PDT by politicalpal
Q: Where did SARS come from?A: SARS is a pneumonia-like illness that emerged from the "viral stew" in the countryside of Guangdong province in China, where people, pigs and poultry live in close proximity under filthy conditions. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Reportedly, this region generates unusual viral outbreaks triggered by mutant strains of human and animal viruses.
Comment: To reiterate, SARS is not an ersatz, biologically engineered virus that's a product of germ warfare
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
I did note that they have begun to immediately isolate patients diagnosed with SARS. Pity that we still can't isolate people with AIDS. I wonder what the death toll from that disease is to date.
*"At the present moment in time, 17 laboratories around the world from 9 countries are involved in dealing with, identifying, and developing tests for the diagnosis of the causative agent of SARS".
We admit we have no test for it yet.
*"And when we have definitive evidence to suggest that the coronavirus is the primary causative agent, the next step that everyone will be anticipating is the development of a vaccine. Discussions are currently ongoing within the laboratories as to how this can be taken forward."
We should be able to develop and produce a vaccine within five years or so. Until then, all you can do is hope you don't catch it.
*"The aim of the collaborating group over the coming weeks will be to bring this information together in a systematic form so that we can actually rule out those therapies that are ineffective and push forward with those therapies that are roving to be effective
We're still trying to figure out how to treat it until those other things happen.
WHAT year would this rate-of-mortality bring us back to (insofar as 'catching' a life threatening disease "back then"):
A. 1950
B. 1900
C. 1860
D. 1776?
We admit we have no test for it yet.Whereas the quote in the piece was:
*"At the present moment in time, 17 laboratories around the world from 9 countries are involved in dealing with, identifying, and developing tests for the diagnosis of the causative agent of SARS".That's not *exactly* the same as "We have no test for it yet."
Your spin would seem to be showing ...
And 15 to 20 years after that the FDA may actually approve it.
Q: "What is a syndrome?".
A: "A number of features which occur together as a group and indicate a particular condition; a group of symptoms that appear together."
Doesn't sound like an awful lot of 'lab work' would be necessary for the probable (note the 'light spin' here?) diagnoses for SARS ...
I've had some experience with sore throats in the past which always developed into something more serious, including one case of pneumonia. The only, repeat only cure I have found has been the repeated use (in coffee or on foodstuffs) a strong preventative measure involving a natural herb ...
It's not the flu. And it would be very nice if we could tell that early on. I'm sure you agree.
That's the interesting thing that we've seen hints of. It's pure speculation, but it looks like it might be deadly only when you get the double-whammy that you're describing. If so, that would be great news.
I offer this as supporting argement for a 'dual-disease' combo ...
Legionellosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. The disease has two distinct forms:Are we there yet with SARS? No ...
- Legionnaires' disease, the more severe form of infection which includes pneumonia, and
- Pontiac fever, a milder illness.
Legionnaires' disease acquired its name in 1976 when an outbreak of pneumonia occurred among persons attending a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia. Later, the bacterium causing the illness was named Legionella.
How common is legionellosis in the United States?
An estimated 8,000 to 18,000 people get Legionnaires' disease in the United States each year. Some people can be infected with the Legionella bacterium and have mild symptoms or no illness at all.
Outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease receive significant media attention. However, this disease usually occurs as a single, isolated case not associated with any recognized outbreak. When outbreaks do occur, they are are usually recognized in the summer and early fall, but cases may occur year-round. About 5% to 30% of people who have Legionnaires' disease die.
While we're there - here are the syptoms for above said disease:
What are the usual symptoms of legionellosis?Patients with Legionnaires' disease usually have fever, chills, and a cough, which may be dry or may produce sputum. Some patients also have muscle aches, headache, tiredness, loss of appetite, and, occasionally, diarrhea. Laboratory tests may show that these patients' kidneys are not functioning properly. Chest X-rays often show pneumonia. It is difficult to distinguish Legionnaires' disease from other types of pneumonia by symptoms alone; other tests are required for diagnosis.
Persons with Pontiac fever experience fever and muscle aches and do not have pneumonia. They generally recover in 2 to 5 days without treatment.
The time between the patient's exposure to the bacterium and the onset of illness for Legionnaires' disease is 2 to 10 days; for Pontiac fever, it is shorter, generally a few hours to 2 days.
One of the factors that could enter into this is - that combo aspect - is that it is well-known that the human body carries around with a host or number of different, active contagions - kept in check by our immune systems ... get chilled, run down, and get 'over-taken' by those contagion *already* existing in one's system ... when something *new* comes along, of course, the body develops (attempts to develop anyway) the counter measures for the 'new' contagion while the patient goes into a 'fever' state ...
What's up with that? Why wouldn't they have exact numbers?
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