From: Karen Rand Smigrodzki (karen@smigrodzki.org)
Date: Tue Apr 15 2003 - 23:06:17 MDT
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/968956834.html
This is another link to a patient oriented audience regarding zinc. It contains useful info on how not to use zinc.
karen
----- Original Message -----
From: ABlainey@aol.com
To: extropians@extropy.org
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 10:08 PM
Subject: SARS or something else?(long)
Dont panick !!!! or do?
An article in a local newspaper gave me cause for concern regarding SARS.
The article stated that a young boy had been admitted to the local A and E with a dry cough and high fever. He tested negative to all the usual tests, yet sadly died shortly after. The headline was something like 'mystery illness kills local boy' and the Hospital had been unable to determine the cause.
The article was published about a month ago, before any reported cases of SARS in the UK, So although I was understandably concerned, it didn't worry me enough to post anything about it. The reason I am posting now is due to something that happened today.
My best friends son developed a similar illness about a week after that of the boy. Due to close contact with my friends son. Both I, My friend My wife and My youngest daughter also developed what could be described as flu like symptoms. This is no supprise really as 'There is alot of it about' in the area and it seems that just about everyone has been ill on and off for months. There is many people that are saying 'I just cant seem to shake it' I was more concerned when I talked to my friend about SARS and if he had seen the article. Not only had he seen it, His son was in the same class as the boy that had died.
At about this point the alarm bells started ringing, but didn't unduely concern me, as people get colds and flu all the time, especially from there kids. What did concern me was that today I picked up my friend and his family from the airport after there holiday. I was worried to hear his son still coughing away like he had been smoking 60 a day. I then realised that I and my family are also still not fully recovered from illness, If anything my wife appears to be getting worse. She visited her GP last week and told him her symptoms which read like either that of SARS or Flu. He prescribed a short course of antibiotics. (Hmmmmmm.....Antibiotics?....Virus)
Just for info, we live around 25 miles north of London, where there has been 3 reported cases so far with local transmission. A large percentage of the local populus commute to London daily.
So is it time to start panicking yet ? I'm still not sure. More than likely not.
All this is very coincidental and is based on the tragic death of a local child that may have had nothing to do with SARS. This little local chain of events has highlighted several problems to me.
When do you start to panick, or start to take serious precautions?
In the current state of health alerts, shouldn't GP's er on the side of caution and at least order a few tests? Especially in a case like this where there is a close degree of seperation between an unexplained death and someone reporting similar symptoms.
The whole episode has made me wonder about how we always playing catch up in epidemic type situations. There seems to be very little prevention or caution involved.
It makes you think about how easy it is for a major epidemic to start, just because the relevent people can't see all the pieces of the puzzle forming until it is too late.
Alex (Still coughing and feeling like crap)
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