Posted on 04/24/2003 10:02:03 AM PDT by ex-Texan
SARS Death Rate Increases to 16% - 25% and the Mutating Virus Attacks Many Vital Organs
There is more evidence that SARS may be much worse than World Health Officials are admitting. In fact, my research convinces me that health officials are very worried about this deadly new virus.
I am deeply concerned about the correct computation of the death rate percentage. Thus far, authorities are simply dividing the number of deaths by the total number of SARS cases. That causes the death rate to be understated in my view. Some medical experts in public health agree with my position. SARS often requires a long hospital stay and intensive care before the patient is deemed to be "cured." Many patients have been hospitalized for three weeks.
Dividing the number of deaths by the number of cured patients results in a death rate percentage of 16% or even higher. In Canada, the adjusted rate has been computed to be about 25%.
* * *
But there is more bad news emerging about this Chinese mystery virus. Doctors are beginning to fear the virus may be mutating into an even more deadly form as it spreads around the world. From a report in New Scientist any mutation in the virus is a genuine cause for even more concern.
* * *
CBN News has a new report up on April 24th from the AP. SARS has caused one hospital in Beijing to lock its doors. New deaths have caused the local authorities to raise the "official" death rate percentage to 7% but health officials openly talk about a 10% death rate.
More disturbing information about Chinese genetic experiments with viruses appeared on ABS-CBN News today. Now the reports about SARS as bio-weapon are appearing all over the Internet. (See My Reports Below)
* * *
The Age.com reports on April 21st that the deadly SARS virus acts on several vital organs and acts like a bio-weapon. A medical expert in Hong Kong worries openly about its bio-weapon potential.
A Wired News report filed on April 21st says that a medical scientist has determined that the SARS death rate may be above 18% and might be as high as 25% in Canada. That is truly scary indeed.
* * *
SMH.com confirms reports virus has mutated and now causes major intestional damage.
(Excerpt) Read more at newspundit.net ...
"The sky is falling!"
"The sky is falling!"
"Everybody to get from streets!"
The SARS threads are great for laughs.
Thats pretty series! Prolly hugh!
* * * "Mortality rates are usually calculated on patients whose outcome is known," said Dr. Henry Niman, a surgery instructor at the Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital. "(The CDC's number) would be accurate only if all patients hospitalized survived, which has not been the history of the disease in the more heavily affected areas."
Instead, some say the rate should be calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the sum of the number of deaths plus the number of people who recovered, which would exclude those people who are still sick, resulting in a higher death rate.
According to Niman's math, the death rate in Hong Kong would be 25 percent, in Canada 21 percent, in Singapore 15 percent and in Vietnam 10 percent. * * *
"The sky is falling ...." may be correct -- according to medical experts.
When you have your credentials to teach at Harvard Medical School and actually do so . . . I guess you will have the right to attack the journalists at Wired News ...
The SARS threads have more loony paranoia than a cabin full of counselors at Camp Crystal Lake.
What's the difference? Real, deadly disaster on American soil. There is so much that health authorities still don't know about this outbreak, I'll reserve final judgment for later.
For all the pollyannies, go play at www.timebomb2000.com....you can scare each other over there.
Another article, titled “BioTerrorism and SARS” and authored by Dr. Mae-Wan Ho, explores further the possible link between the disease and genetic engineering.
In a section subtitled “Genetic engineering super-viruses,” Ho writes:
“While the epidemic has still to run its course, a report appeared in the Journal of Virology, describing a method for introducing desired mutations into coronavirus in order to create new viruses. A key feature of the procedure is to make interspecific chimera recombinant viruses. It involves replacing part of the spike protein gene in the feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) -- which causes invariably fatal infections in cats -- with that of the mouse hepatitis virus. The recombinant FIPV will no longer infect cat cells, but will infect mouse cells instead, and multiply rapidly in them. “These and other experiments in manipulating viral genomes are now routine. It shows how easy it is to create new viruses that jump host species in the laboratory, in the course of apparently legitimate experiments in genetic engineering. * * *
“It is not even necessary to intentionally create lethal viruses, if one so wishes. It is actually much faster and much more effective to let random recombination and mutation take place in the test tube. Using a technique called ‘molecular breeding’ (see ‘Death by DNA shuffling,’ this series), millions of recombinants can be generated in a matter of minutes. These can be [screened] for improved function in the case of enzymes, or increased virulence, in the case of viruses and bacteria.
“In other words, geneticists can now greatly speed up evolution in the laboratory to create viruses and bacteria that have never existed in all the billions of years of evolution on Earth.”
But ... then you knew this already ... ???
I have some extra tinfoil left over, if you need it.
Fuzzy English.
I don't have any idea how many banjos are exported to China, but I'd bet that it's not very many.
Sick little ostririch. I bet those people who's lung are rotting away are getting a real hoot. Cripes.
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