Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Happy Wonderer · 04-23-2003, 10:34 PM

Quote:

BEIJING, April 23 � Thousands of people mobbed Beijing�s West railroad terminal today in desperate attempts to flee the city as the capital reported another triple-digit increase in the number of people infected with SARS and nine more deaths from the virus.

Quote:

In the capital, residents engaged in panic buying of staples, such as rice and vegetables. But in some areas of the city, markets were shut down because all of the sellers had fled for their homes in the countryside.

Oh double, double s**t. The economic costs of the black plague from panic were arguably greater than the costs from morbidity due to the disease itself. (One in ten died of starvation due to the economic disruption.)

This is going to take some intelligent international effort to deal with, and I'm not so sure that our leaders are up to it.

hw

sakrilege · 04-25-2003, 09:24 AM

Two of my sister's kids are in Beijing right now.

elwoodblues · 04-25-2003, 12:22 PM

Is this thing killing anyone but infants and the elderly? I don't understand why all these healthy, robust 20-year-olds are so scared.

ps418 · 04-25-2003, 12:36 PM

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Originally posted by elwoodblues
Is this thing killing anyone but infants and the elderly?

Yes. According to an an article in today's Washington Post: Death Rate for Global Outbreak Rising:

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Statistics in Hong Kong show that the death rate among people younger than 55 is 3.6 percent. For patients between 65 and 75, it is 18.9 percent. For those older than 75, the death rate is 28.6 percent.

The mortality rate is much lower in the young, of course, but its not only infants and elderly dying. Many of the dead are nonelderly hospital workers. I don't know that anyone should be scared. But obviously a situation like this is cause for great concern, especially in a world where effective quarantine is such as challenge.

Patrick

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04-25-2003, 09:24 AM	#2
sakrilege Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Folding@Home Godless Team Posts: 6,211	Two of my sister's kids are in Beijing right now.

04-25-2003, 12:22 PM	#3
elwoodblues Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Dunmanifestin, Discworld Posts: 4,836	Is this thing killing anyone but infants and the elderly? I don't understand why all these healthy, robust 20-year-olds are so scared.

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