You may or may not be right on SARS. It seems to kill about 5% of those infected -- the same ratio as the infamous 1918-1920 flu epidemic that accounted for 20 million deaths.
The key question is how far and fast will it spread?
“The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice.” Mahatma Gandhi