[ricpic]

"He cautioned that even if the virus changes so that it causes less severe disease, that might not be a good thing--people might not get sick enough to go to the hospital and therefore would spread SARS more easily."

To me, that's the most frightening thing I've read about SARS, by far. After all, I mutating virus can mutate into a weaker strain, spread through a much larger percentage of the population, and then re-mutate into a deadly strain again.

[Judith Anne]

I agree with you. There is a lot of absolutely useless knowledge about this virus...each year, like clockwork, Americans get a vaccine tailored to that year's flu, but there won't be one for SARS

[FITZ]

"He cautioned that even if the virus changes so that it causes less severe disease, that might not be a good thing--people might not get sick enough to go to the hospital and therefore would spread SARS more easily."

No ---a less virulent strain could provide you with some cross-immunity if you get the full-blown disease of the less virulent strain ---vaccines aren't as effective. Then if it mutates again to more virulent it won't get you because you'd have partial protection while you make specific antibodies. Already 5600 people who had SARS are now immune to it, and less virulent strains appear to be emerging which will give more people immunity.