From: Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net)
Date: Tue May 13 2003 - 13:15:01 MDT
--- Charles Hixson <charleshixsn@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Adrian Tymes wrote:
> >I calmly, humbly submit the existing, documented
> >infection and fatality rates as evidence. My view
> is
> >simple: what evidence there is supports only the
> view
> >that SARS is a minor disease. It is exceptional
> >...
> With an estimated fatality rate of 40% among those
> over 60 I don't find
> it particularly minor. It seems controllable with
> quarantine, but so
> was smallpox.
But there were far more cases of smallpox than there
are of SARS, especially outside of China. If it was
truly the epidemic people say it is, there would be
far more reported cases by now. (Yes, smallpox raged
longer than SARS has so far. The argument stands even
after taking that into account.)
Also, consider the statistical sample: saying that,
say, 4 out of 10 people died is much more vulnerable
to random influence than 400 out of 1000.
> Can it be erradicated?
Apparently yes, with relatively minimal loss of life -
relatively, as such things go (how many people, just
in the US, have died from auto accidents since the
first SARS case was reported?) - even if all who
presently had it were condemned to die. At least, if
it can be contained, which most countries seem to be
doing effectively.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue May 13 2003 - 13:26:11 MDT