SARS virus proves dangerously durable

CanWest News Service - The Edmonton Journal - canada.com ^ | , April 20, 2003 | David Rider, With files from Rick Pedersen

[SauronOfMordor]

I don't think they're suggesting that the virus could survive two months on a ship.

You know that and I know that, but is the general public going to believe it, or are they going to play it safe?

Then again, if a virus can survive 24 hours on a surface, what's the upper limit to its survival in a dark shipping container?

[CathyRyan]

That was a truly great article with INFORMATION. Thank you for pointing it out to me. Thank you!

[aristeides]

And, for anybody that's worried, it should be possible to develop some kind of decontamination procedure that the imports can be put through.

[boris]

What year does China want/get the Olympics?

2008?

Maybe it should be reconsidered...

[boris]

"And, for anybody that's worried, it should be possible to develop some kind of decontamination procedure that the imports can be put through."

One would think that gamma radiation could do the trick. I don't know if it would be effective against viruses but I'd bet it would.

Gamma does not leave the irradiated product 'radioactive' and boy does it kill organic stuff.

--Boris

[ET(end tyranny)]

Even when you only go by the new "probable" criteria, the deaths numbers are out of whack compared to Canada. Are we to believe that Canada's med system sucks so badly compared to us (perhaps so, but our numbers still look suspicious)

They sure do.

Incidentally, back in February there were quite a few deaths to mostly children and teens. If I recall correctly, Ohio, Michigan one of the Virginias and some place else. Were the symptoms in those deaths similar to SARS?? Anyone know?

[Lucas1]

The US is LYING

[StACase]

The new cluster will further tax Toronto's almost-paralysed health care system.

SARS Death Rate Comparison

Country	Cases	Death Rate
Canada	132	9%
United States	220	0%
World Wide	3547	5%

Source

So when is the news media going to jump on the Canadian health care system's 9% SARS death rate?

[R W Reactionairy]

"They did the Koch's postulate on the corona virus. Who the heck nows anything about this disease at this point."

It is quite difficult to reconcile the following quote from the article with the postulate requiring that the disease causing agent be present in all cases of infection. "We have only identified the corona virus in 50% of the people being treated for Sars," health ministry spokesperson Paul Gully told the Sunday edition of the Montreal newspaper La Presse."

My guess is that they just haven't tried hard enough yet. The alternative is that we are still facing something that as you indicated we know nothing about. I would love to see some more about this since my guess and $1.75 might get you a cup of coffee at Denny's.

[Judith Anne]

I agree.

[Domestic Church]

We will see case clusters erupting here over the next week.

[Domestic Church]

"How do you exclude the possiblity that there are two or more diseases?"

The Koch's postulate should prove the corona virus is the culprit but the idea of another virus causing the same severe symptomsis intriguing(and diabolical!)

I know my intuition has pestered me from the start when they were picking up bits of other viruses and bacteria that some sort of symbiosis was going on. Maybe SARS rapidly debilitates(fast AIDs someone described it) to the point of allowing secondary viral infection(and that is odd) or bacterial(more common.)

If it is a real naturally evolving viral symbiosis then the mutations should gradually allow for the host(that's us folks)to survive at greater % until there is no mortality as this bug continues.

Of course it might decimate our country before it gets to that point.

[Domestic Church]

"Sounds like a good time to sell WalMart stock"

Yep and a few others too will drop in the tank soon.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

bump for later reading.

[Domestic Church]

What year does China want/get the Olympics? 2008? Maybe it should be reconsidered...

We'll be too busy trying to hook up our horses and buggies by then...and China will be wondering what to do with warehouses of microwave ovens.

[Domestic Church]

Yep. My oldest had atypical pneumonia and nearly died last fall...norovirus/tummy virus developed in matter of hours into pneumonia and then triggered a severe asthma attack(the first one) in the ER. And the cases of pediatric asthma are skyrocketing across the entire country.

[Domestic Church]

I don't think the US is lying. I think we are about to get slam dunked by the second half of the first wave of this bug.

[Judith Anne]

You may well be correct. I no longer know what to think, my concern has been for the fall and the traditional flu season, but I'm starting to wonder.

[Concentrate]

This is like a nightmare! Can I stay home from work for 5 years or so? Perhaps a big fat home equity loan is in order, just to pay the bills for the next year or so.

But seriously, this thing has the earmarks of something really big. Hope I'm wrong.

[CathyRyan]

Well you are a head of most people. Keep an eye on it and don't let it become the center of your life. I think information is the best weapon against this disease.