Are You Scared To Sars £¿

[a-rose]

ARE YOU SCARED TO SARS £¿

[Jenny P]

Oramar, that is the usual pattern of all flus; and that is exactly the same pattern of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic also.

As with most flus, contact with it at this point would give you some sort of protection when (and IF) it returns in a more virulent form next winter.

[Jenny P]

Oramar, that is the usual pattern of all flus; and that is exactly the same pattern of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic also.

As with most flus, contact with it at this point would give you some sort of protection when (and IF) it returns in a more virulent form next winter.

[nrw350]

I take it Sars is still spreading of course? It seems to have left the news to some degree.

[toronto rn]

Sars is on the decrease in Toronto, with no new cases in the community. The last cases involving health care workers have passed the quarantine date with no further transmission.

Just this week most floors of the hospital are no longer wearing masks. Areas which still have active SARS patients are continuing with isolation precautions, and all staff and visitors and patients are screened before entering the hospital. Another week or two and all the cases should be cleared. I think now there are less than 30 cases of sars in the hospitals. With 3 remaining critical.

China remains a concern still--leaving the rest of the world on the alert, because one missed case can cause many to become ill.

[oramar]

At this point it looks as though stopping it in China is impossible. That is a summary of what the WHO teams over there are saying. My question is about containing it. It it is out of control then how do you keep it in the country? How do you contain it in a country that population that huge?

[a-rose]

Many measures for guard against SARS have been taken in china. Chinese scared feeling of SARS is decreasing.

Along with cases infected SARS is decreasing day by day, Chinese see hope for SARS will be eliminated.

Wish that SARS will be cleared up from this world for a long time!

[ainitfunny]

If you aren't frightened of SARS you either are misinformed about it or not informed at all.

The fatality rate is NOT 5% it is 15% for young healthy people and progresses to 43% as you approach 60, after 60 yrs old you have a 55% chance of dying if you contract it.

If you survive, 10-15% of those who survive have such severe lung damage they cannot perform ordinary routine daily tasks.

And those figures are for patients with access to fairly good medical care. The numbers for those ill in Africa, or other areas lacking good medical facilities would be much worse. Also, should the medical resources available to any particular population be overwhelmed not only would the death rate skyrocket as intensive care and respirators might not be available if an unbridled epidemic hit even a developed nation, the normal medical care for other illnesses becomes unavailable as SARS takes over the entire system.

Short of smallpox and ebola this is about as bad as it gets folks.

[toronto rn]

I don't think this is as bad as it gets, this is merely a wake-up call to recognize that we are not at the top of the food chain. Those little microbes are, and with the proliferation of a strain of virus that is particularly nasty, we can all be brought to a grinding halt.

Certainly caution will be in the forefront of all healthcare workers minds from now on. What will the new normal bring?

Much like the universal precautions developed in the 1980's following awareness of HIV being spread through bodily fluids, this virus outbreak will cause a health care adaptation to universal respiratory precautions.

It is a fearful time, as the world watches to see if SARS can be brought under control. As Aintitfunny posted, the mortality rates are higher than originally thought. An uncontrolled virus like this could potentially wipe out a large part of the elderly community. Toronto's actions and reactions to the outbreak will no doubt be analysed and scrutinized, with recommendations for containment which will eventially be adapted by most countries. China is another story, with such a large condensed population and areas of poor health care, the outcomes still remain to be seen.

A world wide effort may be needed to assist china, otherwise this may yet become a world wide problem.

[fergus51]

15% for young healthy people? I would think that depends on where you are. Toronto has had one healthy person under 50 die from it that I read about. We've had 20 or so deaths out of 300+ infected, in a city of a few million I think it could have been A LOT worse.

[Jenny P]

Originally posted by oramar

At this point it looks as though stopping it in China is impossible. That is a summary of what the WHO teams over there are saying. My question is about containing it. It it is out of control then how do you keep it in the country? How do you contain it in a country that population that huge?

Oramar, I was listening to the BBC this past week and heard where China has really taken the bull by the horns as far as isolating and containing anyone with possible SARS symptoms. From what I have read and heard in the media, China's main problem with containment of SARS is their weakened infrastructure: the broken plumbing/waste pipes in the one residential block in Hong Kong seemed to spread SARS faster than anyone expected and there is a concern that these problems may occur again in other areas if the virus should return this fall and winter (following the usual flu season pattern).

A local private college made their exchange students return home early this week instead of finishing out their terms in Asia. The students told how they found that the Chinese and Japanese were extremely thorough in scanning and screening travellers (doing temp scans of everyone, questionaires re: recent contact with anyone with cold or flu sx,. etc.); but as these students came farther into the "civilized" western world, they felt there was no screening going on for any protection of the public.

The number of new SARS cases in China is about half this past week of what it was the week before. I think China is doing a good job so far; but the real test is going to be next winter flu season-- all over the world.

[ainitfunny]

I think this is one disease that will be suppressed quickly.

WHY?? BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THE WORLD AND HAVE ALL THE POWER AND MONEY ARE PERSONALLY ENDANGERED!!

THERE ARE VERY FEW VERY YOUNG PEOPLE WITH POWER AND MONEY. MOST OF THESE VIP'S FALL INTO THE 43-55% FATALITY PROBABILITY SHOULD THEY CONTRACT THIS DISEASE. And, they are generally people who travel a lot or are exposed to others who travel extensively. So, because this disease personally threatens every leader of every nation on earth you will see this particular disease vigorously eradicated.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

I think we all need to be on our knees praying. (And I am not saying this in a flippant or sarcastic manner--I am DEAD serious.) We desperately need divine intervention before next winter flu season hits.