[BushCountry]

I been reading that this was less dangerous than getting a flu (stupid reporters can't get anything straight, jeez). However, the death rate for a flu is 13.1 per 100,000. Over 7% is nuts and deadly beyond any flu.

[Prince Charles]

Bingo, and those who recover from SARS are likely to have lingering, debilitating problems.

[aristeides]

I suspect reporters are being told by their editors to not cause panic.

[SauronOfMordor]

Over 7% is nuts and deadly beyond any flu

Take a look at WHO's Monday figures. The death rate in Hong Kong is 18%. It similar in other countries with large numbers of SARS cases. You need to believe that either mainland China has better hospitals than HK, or that their govt is lying. I tend towards the latter

[SauronOfMordor]

Several things strike me about SARS:

1. It has a high death rate. In Hong Kong, Canada, and other countries, we're seeing death rates of around 18% (when you look at deaths versus recoveries, excluding people still sick). This is in the same league as smallpox
2. Black Plague, while having a higher death rate (50%) is spread by rats and fleas, which makes it a non-issue in the US outside of certain high-poverty areas. Smallpox is not contagious in it's initial stages, and the ill person will be bedridden by the time the contagious stage is reached, making isolation easy. SARS is an airborne disease, and seems highly communicatable
3. SARS mutates, making a vaccine difficult to produce. It also means that those that survive one SARS illness, can get sick AGAIN a few months later from a mutated version (much like getting a cold does not immunize us from colds)

The combination of these factors has the potential to be very ugly. You would have difficulty bioengineering an uglier bug if you tried