SARS Death Rate Increases to 16% - 25% and the Mutating Virus Attacks Many Vital Organs

NewsPundit.net ^ | 4/24/2003 | Douglas Oliver

[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.

[oldcomputerguy]

Plenty of organizations were using the lower mortality rate figures.

It seems to me the lower figures of 4%-5% that I have seen are in the range of open heart surgery. I know that open heart surgery on entire populations is not something in which I would want to participate.

[Domestic Church]

I don't know a single person in medicine or science who isn't concerned about SARS and those I do know who have the inner rings on this race to the cure/death are scared.

[Betty Jo]

Yep, no treatment,no antiviral,no vaccine.

[DBtoo]

I bought a puppy from a woman in Oregon about a month ago, and they thought her husband had it. He was in the hospital on oxygen. He's home now and doing better though still weak. He had all the symtoms and is in his 40s.

[DBtoo]

Does anyone have any idea on how fast it's spreading? Any numbers for the US for instance?

[Republic]

I have had this tingle that maybe this is a bio type hazard-first designed by man. Tho I'm not an alarmist by any means-the rapid mutation reports of this virus's capabilities is scary news for those living in the areas it is now festering in...dunno...but I sure hope some folks in China weren't experimenting with virus's and something went horribly wrong. But I can't think of any other reason for the Chinese authorities to ignore the implications of this fast spreading virus for so long.

[riri]

I'd be interested in hearing what those in the field are saying or thinking.

While we are far from unlocking the mysteries of viruses, I believe we have learned much in the last 20 years. We will now have the opportunity to see what mankind is capable of when staring down the barrel of a gun, so to speak.

[Russell Scott]

I find it interesting that SARS started just as the Iraq war started. And now the World Health Org., another one of these idiotic United Nations bureaucracies, starts screaming FIRE! FIRE! in a crowded theater, just as the UN political clout regarding their failed Iraq policy falls apart. In other words, is SARS nothing but another fraudulent attempt by the UN to gain political power, since they lost so much credibility and power over the Iraq issue? I say YES!

[drew]

OK, I just have to 1)agree with you, and 2)compliment you on an obscure movie reference. Anyone who quotes "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming!" is OK with me. OK, Whittaker Walt? Egermency!

[DBtoo]

Do you remember hearing about a mystery flu that struck Madagscar last summer? It started in mid summer, and by Aug. 18 after WHO went in and cut off all further reporting, there were around 22,000 cases and 800 deaths. I don't know what the final figures were, since after Aug. 18 there seemed to be a total news blackout on the matter.

[aristeides]

Steve Connor: The diseases from nowhere which strike with a venom.

[Prince Charles]

Deadly Flu Outbreak: Is History Repeating Itself?

[Thumper1960]

Why worry about Iraqi bio-weapons when the Red Chinese-true to Communist form-screwed up and released their own bio-weapon.Accidently, of course.

It makes ya wonder.

[TheBigB]

I know plenty of folks in both science and medicine. Not even a ripple of worry. I asked one about it last week, and he laughed and said he'd be surprised if the epidemic lasted more than another month.

[Dog Gone]

Well, that's certainly an interesting take. Which countries in the UN decided to create this hoax, and how is it going to give the UN more power?

And how did they convince everyone to play sick so convincingly?

[realpatriot71]

It could be that this particular virus has an enzyme that recognizes and incorporates other viral nucleic acid and incorporates the alien viral nucleic acid with it's own. In this way, whenever the virus ran into another different virus, the chance for mutation would be very high. Many times this would result in a deletrious mutation(s) in the viral genome, but it would only take one newly mutated and functioning virus to make a million.

How that for tin foil on this day, april 24 :-)

[CanadianBacon]

ATLANTA (Reuters) - U.S. health officials said on Thursday that travelers to Canada do not have any special risk of SARS (news - web sites) and said they would not follow the World Health Organization (news - web sites) in warning against travel to Toronto.

"U.S. citizens traveling to Canada are not at risk for SARS if they avoid hospitals and take common sense precautions," Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), told a news conference.

[DBtoo]

Great find! And from Aug. 30 no less!

I kept doing google searches at the time, but nothing came up for me after Aug 18. After a while I gave up. But it's interesting that it was identified as a type A flu. Thanks for finding that!

[DB]

Death rates can only be computed from the final outcomes, be it recovered or dead. The number infected verses dead is useless for the "death rate" as the outcome is yet unknown for those infected and neither dead or recovered. Meaningfull numbers are based on two knowns... Using one unknown with a known will result with a meaningless result.

[Domestic Church]

"Erasmus Medical Institute says 'not a bioweapon' -- but two world famous Russian medical experts say it definitely is man-made and a possible bioweapon."

If there is public agreement in the scientific community that this is a bioweapon you can start counting the minutes until the nukes fly.