Replies to post #101505 on Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[ajtj99]

George, the mortality rate for SARS is 15%, not 5%. The 15% is derived by dividing the number of deaths by the sum of the number cured and the number who've died. The 5% number is not correct as it takes into account the people who still have the disease.

The Flu in 1918 had a 10% mortality rate, if memory serves. 25% of the US got it, 2.5% died. We talked about this a couple weeks ago here.

[schloss_1]

Actually, SARS cases are doubling every week and the mortality rate has risen from under 5% to over 6% now. Anyone who thinks that scientists will be able to control this should think again. Chances of vacine = zero. Chances of cure = zero. (There are some anti-viral meds, but they have not been shown to be effective against SARS.) Incidentally, it took more than a decade to find a vaccine for the Hepatitis B virus, and the HIV virus is so complex (7 enzyme surfaces and mutating all the time), no serious scientist holds any hope for a vacine in decades. This SARS epidemic is the real thing and don't make the mistake of thinking otherwise!

schloss