Gossamer Forum
Home : General : Chit Chat :

S is for silly in SARS

Quote Reply
S is for silly in SARS
A local Vancouver couple planned and paid for a trip to Malaysia - long before the SARS outbreak. They were informed that the government of Malaysia has just banned all non-business travel to Malaysia by Canadians, due to SARS. Now they are out thousands of dollars. There appears to be no recourse, and their ($400) trip cancellation insurance does not cover the cost as the travel advisory was issued outside Canada. This is getting really silly. We may see some air carriers (like Cathay), that service the Asian market, on the verge of going under as this is the last straw in an already weakened industry. Asian markets and malls in Vancouver area are ghost towns. Convention cancellations in Toronto. And this not just localized to Canada and Asia. The outbreak clearly needs to be addressed and controlled, but with some perspective. For example, Influenza kills nearly 1,500 Canadians each year, nearly ten times that in the US, and has a more farreaching global impact. SARS is not the plague, but is the media's flavour of the month to sell soap. Serious yes, but not the downfall of mankind. So support your local Chinatown Cool

----
Cheers,

Dan
Founder and CEO

LionsGate Creative
GoodPassRobot
Magelln
Quote Reply
Re: [dan] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
Flu kills that many people? I'm never going out ever again. Wink
_______________________________________________________
Lem Motlow, Proprietor Lynchburg (pop 361), Tenn.
Quote Reply
Re: [Lem Motlow] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
From one source, "Conservative estimates place the yearly number of Canadian deaths from influenza at 1,500 while some experts say it will kill about 4,500 Canadians this year. That number can climb up to 6,000 if you include those who will die from complications, such as pneumonia." I carry my Nortons Antivirus CD with me everywhere I go, but damned if I do not get the flu year after year Smile

----
Cheers,

Dan
Founder and CEO

LionsGate Creative
GoodPassRobot
Magelln
Quote Reply
Re: [dan] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
But influenza doesn't normally kill healthy people. SARS appears to be indiscriminate. Hopefully they get a handle on treatment for it. Could be devastating to the Pacific Rim economy.
Quote Reply
Re: [ArmyAirForces] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
Yes I agree, a valid point. And a very signficant difference. Fortunately the mortality rate is low at less than 5%. And even more fortunately, the West Coast has been spared for the large part, for the time being - note that SRA may be evolving into a community outbreak in Toronto. But statistically, anywhere on the globe, it is exteremely unlikely you will contract SRS (more likelly to struck by lightning). But if you do, extremely unlikely you will die. So my advice is to be cautious and be aware of the symptomology of SRS (and seek medical attention / advice if you develop any of the early symptoms). However, don't allow it to control or restrict your life. This ain't the Pneumonic Bubonic Plague.

----
Cheers,

Dan
Founder and CEO

LionsGate Creative
GoodPassRobot
Magelln
Quote Reply
Re: [dan] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
But it has a catchy acronym! I agree with you, there is a lot of hype on this. But it's not like we need any new diseases Smile
Quote Reply
Re: [ArmyAirForces] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
SARS does roll off the tongue well. The boys in the Disease Epidemology Acronym Development department are worth their weight in gold Wink

----
Cheers,

Dan
Founder and CEO

LionsGate Creative
GoodPassRobot
Magelln
Quote Reply
Re: [dan] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
Personally I`m thinking of going to Asia before this outbreak ends.

Just imagine all those empty airplanes, trains, coaches, hotels, beaches. Theres more chance of catching malaria and thats never put me off.

For me this is the best time to visit Asia, Wink I`ve never been one for panicking or seeing mountains when there is only molehills.

The best time to travel anywhere is when most people are afraid to go there, within reason of course. The locals are usually real pleased to see someone.

chmod
Quote Reply
Re: [dan] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
These sorts of actions don't help:

Quote:


At a secret staff meeting overheard by a TIME reporter, Dr. Zhang Hanwei, director of the Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital in Taiyuan, relayed what he called the "three nos" disseminated by China's Ministry of Central Publicity: no talking to the media about SARS, no talking to the public about treating the disease and no tattling to WHO if its experts come calling. And with that warning, the meeting ended. The same, sadly, cannot be said of the epidemic.


A Time magazine online article about China hiding SARS patients from the WHO.
Quote Reply
Re: [chmod] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
Quote:
I`ve never been one for panicking or seeing mountains when there is only molehills.

Talking of which, I wish the media over in Britain would show some maturity and responsibility.

The headlines on one of our papers within the last two days was:

SARS VIRUS GRIPS BRITAIN

Mmm the number of reported cases in Britian is about 15, and there are just under 60 million people. Ugh.
Quote Reply
Re: [Paul] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
Why is it that Canada seems to be one of the worst hit places? We never did anything to anyone Tongue

Jason Rhinelander
Gossamer Threads
jason@gossamer-threads.com
Quote Reply
Re: [Jagerman] S is for silly in SARS In reply to
I guess you have a lot of people travelling to the far east. Or a lot of people with weak immune systems. Wink