SARS - scary stuff

[Silent_One]

I don't know about you but this stuff is scary. CNN said tonight that cases in Asia have doubled and that 4 cases are now in California.


http://www.who.int/csr/don/2003_03_17/en/]

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - multi-country outbreak - Update 2


17 March 2003

Disease Outbreak Reported

NOTE FOR THE PRESS ISSUED BY WHO
17 March 2003

WHO coordinates international effort to identify and treat SARS
17 March 2003 -- WHO has today stepped up several activities aimed at strengthening the international response to the recent emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). SARS is an infectious disease of unknown etiology characterized by atypical pneumonia (see WHO press release of 15 March and additional information at www.who.int.)

The disease is spread from person to person but only through close contact with a case. To date, almost all reported cases have occurred in health workers involved in the direct care of reported cases or in close contacts, such as family members. There is no evidence to date that the disease spreads though casual contact.

 

[Natoma]

Here's another link to add to the info:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/

I saw on CNBC today that SARS could potentially be even more deadly than the 1918-1919 Flu Pandemic that cost 25 Million lives. Scary stuff..

 

[K.I.L.E.R]

Now we all know what happens when we start a war with Iraq, Saddam unleashes viruses on us all.

Seriously: Anyone know how this new strand started?

 

[Basic]

Seriously: Anyone know how this new strand started?

Overuse of wide spectrum antibiotics is a rather good guess. Pushing the evolution of multiresistent viri.

 

[epicstruggle]

Seriously: Anyone know how this new strand started?

Overuse of wide spectrum antibiotics is a rather good guess. Pushing the evolution of multiresistent viri.

When I went to South Africa to meet my wife, i stayed with my uncle and aunt. They have 3 kids a bit younger then me. When one of them got a cold, the doctor prescribe alot of antibiotics just so he could get better fast. I cannot understand this overusing of antibiotics. This will only lead to more drug resistant bugs. I have been trying to be on an anti-anti-bactireal shopping spree. The overuse of anti-bact cleaning supplies will also lead to bacteria that cannot be easily killed.

People can we please stay on topic here.

 

[K.I.L.E.R]

So, can anything OTHER than AB kill the bug? If not, then what?

 

[Mariner]

Well, if it's a virus, antibiotics will be of no use anyway.

Sounds like it's a nasty disease, though, and it will be interesting (and possibly worrying) to see how far or quickly it spreads.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Well, if it's a virus, antibiotics will be of no use anyway.

Exactly. If this is a virus, it didnt' "cause" this bug, nor can the bug be treated with it. We shouldn't automatically treat every new disease/bug as one that's "caused by man".

Any doctor who perscribes ABs for cold symptoms is a moron, as are parents / patients demandind an AB perscription for such symptoms. If there is a bacterial infection (such as ear or throat) accompanyting the symptions, it's at least reasonable.

 

[RussSchultz]

Captain Trips!

 

[Simon F]

Any doctor who perscribes ABs for cold symptoms is a moron, as are parents / patients demandind an AB perscription for such symptoms.

Perhaps there should be greater availability of "over the counter" placebos.

Then again ... perhaps that's already happening. I've seen homeopathy "medicine" on sale in chemists (== drugstore for those in the US)

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Perhaps there should be greater availability of "over the counter" placebos.

Indeed....just call it "bla-blah-illin", and it will likely satisfy legions of patients, not to mention make someone filthy rich in the process.

(...goes off to check patent / copyright registry....)

 

[Silent_One]

http://www.who.int/csr/table/en/index.html

CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF REPORTED SUSPECT AND PROBABLE CASES OF SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME

FROM: 1 FEB 2003
TO: 17 MAR 2003

Country
Total number of case(s) Number of deaths Local transmission

Germany 1 0 None*

Canada 8 2 Yes

Singapore 20 0 Yes

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
95 1 ** Yes

Switzerland 2 0 To be determined

Thailand 1 0 None*

Viet Nam 40 1 Yes

Total 167 4

Notes:

* Imported cases immediately isolated. Not to be considered as affected areas.

**The death attributed to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China occurred in a case medically transferred from Viet Nam .

This list does not include the reported doubling of cases in Asia nor the 4 reported cases in California. Additionally their are (were) about 300 cases in China reported in February that the WHO is checking into to see if their related.

“This syndrome, SARS, is now a worldwide health threat,â€￾ said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the World Health Organization. “The world needs to work together to find its cause, cure the sick, and stop its spread.â€￾

 

[RussSchultz]

"And now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray John Reynolds, the peace will keep.

Amen."

 

[John Reynolds]

"And now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray John Reynolds, the peace will keep.

Amen."

Speak of the devil and he appears in a burst of sulferous smoke.

I deleted quite a few posts to clean this thread up, guys. Let's keep on-topic here.

 

[Ty]

Seriously: Anyone know how this new strand started?

Overuse of wide spectrum antibiotics is a rather good guess. Pushing the evolution of multiresistent viri.

Anti-biotics don't kill virii.

 

[Natoma]

Seriously: Anyone know how this new strand started?

Overuse of wide spectrum antibiotics is a rather good guess. Pushing the evolution of multiresistent viri.

Anti-biotics don't kill virii.

Tis true. However, flooding the body with antibiotics still exposes virii and bacterium, which in turn allows virii and bacterium to come up with defenses against the antibiotics.

Virii and Bacterium have been known to share DNA strands. While antibiotics do nothing to virii, there is nothing to stop the virii from developing defenses and passing them along to the bacterium that live in your bodies.

Definitely overuse of our antibiotics and subsequent resistance has been a huge factor in the current crop of 'super bugs' popping up lately.

 

[Ty]

Virii and Bacterium have been known to share DNA strands. While antibiotics do nothing to virii, there is nothing to stop the virii from developing defenses and passing them along to the bacterium that live in your bodies.

If Antibiotics do nothing to Virii, then what defenses would they develop to pass along to Bacteria?

Definitely overuse of our antibiotics and subsequent resistance has been a huge factor in the current crop of 'super bugs' popping up lately.

While in College, I did my fair share of time working in an ER so I completely understand and agree with this point of view.

 

[Natoma]

Virii and Bacterium have been known to share DNA strands. While antibiotics do nothing to virii, there is nothing to stop the virii from developing defenses and passing them along to the bacterium that live in your bodies.

If Antibiotics do nothing to Virii, then what defenses would they develop to pass along to Bacteria?

From my understanding of virii and bacteria, anytime they encounter a new medium, their genetic code changes, even if there is no effect. That's one reason why mutations occur so quickly in virii. Sometimes those adaptations end up being passed along to bacterium and end up strengthening them.

Defenses was incorrect terminology. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Babel-17]

I've read that even when antibiotics are prescribed sensibly the patients themselves misuse them. Often a person will stop taking them once their symptoms subside. If the infection is still inside them and they infect someone else it will be with a dose that has already begun adapting.

We may come to the point where what few effective antibiotics we have or will develop will only be prescribed under conditions that mandate compliance. I can't readily imagine such an implimentation though. The moral and political implications alone .......... the first time a free clinic denies a hebephrenic treatment, for example, and the person dies .........

I don't have an answer.

 

[Demonio]

The earth is punishing us do you really think that it will let it treat itself this bad any longer.......???!!!

That statement may seem over the top but think about it........we killing a ''living'' planet........