terrible virus

[n3tgraph]

I just saw the news again... and suddenly I felt a bit cold.

It just looks like everything is going the wrong way in the world - except for this community ufcuz

but serious.... First the war on Irak, now threatments to syrie, the stuff with korea, America want to give France a punishment of some kind.

And then the terrible virus called SARS. I just had a moment and thought about Gilbert... How are you holding up out there Gil? It must be terrible with that crazy virus running arond hong kong.

I just wanted to say I wish hong kong best of luck with the virus matter and I sure hope peace will arrive some day.

sorry for the sentiment
n3t

[BruisedWeasel]

Then again, China could use a decrease in population...

[Evil]

then again only 20 some people have died...

[DragonRose]

You're a bit behind, evil.  There have been 16 deaths in Toronto alone. There were about 83 deaths in Hong Kong as of the 21st.  

In Toronto, people are going pretty nuts.  People are given those house arrest ankle bracelets if they are suspected of having contact with someone who has SARS.  There are people who've had contact and no one knows who they are.  My Improv coach has an infected galbladder. He desperatly needs surgery, and he can't even stay in the hospital because of all the SARS quarantines and regulations, let alone be operated on.

The Taiwanese and Chinese communities are being ostricized, however you spell it. Their stores and restaurants are being avoided as if they had the plague.

A rather appropriate cliche, no?

People are scared to take public transportation, because there was a nurse who died of SARS that might have spread it to passengers on a commuter train.  People don't want to go out to public places- a food drive at a chain of grocery stores barely brought in anything, because no one was going shopping.  

We aren't at the state where people are wearing surgical masks, but it's close.

Bah.  That about sums it all up. Bah.

[Las Naranjas]

The Carr government has passed legislation allowing arrest anyone showing symptoms.

Apart from the totalitarian Science Fiction element, that could be scary.

[Gilbert]

It is not really *that* serious, at least not serious enough to make here an infected area. What is so scary of it is that the real cause of it is still unknown and people usually got infected in packs (eg. there are almost 100 persons living in ONE single building got infected).

So far we have here (up till 23/4/03 1:00pm) 1458 known infected cases, 105 of which died and 522 recovered.

So most people wear facemasks (including me) when they're outdoors now and wash their hands more often and I have to check my body temperature every morning in the office starting this week.

Though it is not a good experience, on the bright side, people had now learnt that they should concern more about a clean environment and their health.

[BruisedWeasel]

FedEx recieved a box with white powder. My mother works for the USPS, which sometimes handles FedEx boxes. I keep hoping mother doesn't bring home the anthrax. I don't think her health plan covers it.

[Femme Stab Mode >:D]

I sent people e-mails with two words

                    WHITE           POWDER


Sending antrax through email !

[n3tgraph]

does that make sense?

[Femme Stab Mode >:D]

It was 3'o clock at night. I thought it was funny at the time.

[Scid]

It's so scary if you think about how fast virusses can spread around the world today. If there was an airborne virus with an incubation time of 1 month, the whole world could be infected and die without anybody ever surviving long enough to find out what hit us.

The only animal that is really safe when it comes to contracting a deadly disease, is the virus itself. Kind of teaches one a thing or two about who the real dominant species on the planet is.

(it's ants, by the way. But the virus comes close)

[Erica McLane]

There was a movie, "Infection", "Taint" or something like this. Has somebody watched it?

[Soft, Gooey, Delicious.]

It is kind of scary, but in the same time frame, The US still killed more iraqi civilians.

[n3tgraph]

the movie... was that with ummm what's the name of the guy...

you know.. the one that played rain man and captain hook

anyway... the movie was good, it was with a monkey spreading the virus

[Renal Shutdown]

Outbreak

[n3tgraph]

yeah, that's it!

[DinghyDog]

that was NOT a very good movie...really corny. Oh well, it had Morgan Freeman, so I'm not complaining. He rocks.

-DD

[frobozz]

There's always The Stand...let's hope to God that THIS doesn't happen...

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0108941

[DGMacphee]

Outbreak had Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, and Donald Sutherland.

And it was directed by Das Boot's Wolfgang Peterson.

How can a movie with that much talent be so average?

Only in Hollywood!

[Evil]

dragonrose: i think now would be a good time to repeat my favorite quote from the boards...

I didn't forget man...I just live in another country than you...so, take into account all the different time zones....Multiply the cost of gas times three and subtract that from my shoe size and you'll see that it's actaully sept 14 1988 where I live....   :

[Gilbert]

Outbreak was a movie about virus? Wasn't it a movie about military service?2?

[Trapezoid]

I thought it was about destroying bricks with a ball.

[Pumaman]

In Toronto, people are going pretty nuts.  People are given those house arrest ankle bracelets if they are suspected of having contact with someone who has SARS.  There are people who've had contact and no one knows who they are.  My Improv coach has an infected galbladder. He desperatly needs surgery, and he can't even stay in the hospital because of all the SARS quarantines and regulations, let alone be operated on.

The Taiwanese and Chinese communities are being ostricized, however you spell it. Their stores and restaurants are being avoided as if they had the plague.

Blimey, that must be a really strange sort of environment to be living in, and scary too. Do they know yet why this outbreak in Toronto happened?

[remixor]

Outbreak had Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, and Donald Sutherland.

And it was directed by Das Boot's Wolfgang Peterson.

How can a movie with that much talent be so average?

Only in Hollywood!

Well, to be fair, Wolfgang Petersen doesn't exactly have the most pristine track record.  Das Boot is fantastic, a truly great film, but he's also directed his fair share of other forgettable films.

[Las Naranjas]

I would have expected an outbreak in Vancouver...

[12431]

god I wish that virus could just disappear!
I'm developing a fobia!

then again, the virus did outburst in china, were people live close to eachother, but not that many people got the virus anyway, so I guess we have it under control...for now...

6 out of hundred people die from it. if you're healthy, you've got a good chance.

[Jimi]

I'm glad that there are no cases so far in England. Although, it is scary. At least one AGS member will get SARS.

[12431]

they said something about tourists visiting england with sars. noone got the virus, but the tourists got huge tickets.

[Pumaman]

I don't know where you got the idea that it's under control, but in Beijing they have just ordered the closure of all theatres, cinemas and bars until the number of cases stops growing.

[rodekill]

One idiot nurse in Toronto took the bus home, got the symptoms, and took the bus back to work.
And apparently some people are refusing to be quarantined.
Brilliant.
Amazingly there have been no cases in Quebec yet, though some shows have been cancelled anyways because of fear and paranoia.

[Las Naranjas]

None in Quebec?

woah, even viruses have taste.

[Femme Stab Mode >:D]

The current SARS death toll is 319. It's quite obvious where it comes from. There was a similar outbreak a few years ago. Chinese farmers live in close proximity with pigs and ducks. In the past a virus from a duck that couldn't affect humans but could affect pigs ivolved in a pig's body so it could affect humans. It was so different from all the other types of flu no-one was immune. It seems to me that history is repeating itself.

[plasticman]

Hum.. I don't know what to think about this...

Here are some funny facts I read the other day (they're a bit outdated) :

Only 251 people have died from SARS, and that's out of 4288 cases.  That means only about 7 or 8 percent of people who get it die from it.  Not one person in the US has died from it, and that's out of 39 cases.
36,000 people die from the flu every year in the U.S. alone.
AIDS has killed more than 20 million, with 4 million expected to die in the next decade.
The Spanish Flu in 1919 killed 30 million including 675,000 Americans.

So yes, SARS is coming, but you've probably got a better chance dying at a Limp Biscuit show than from SARS.

I don't know about you, but I love it how the media tries to scare the shit out of everybody.

[Trapezoid]

Media trying to scare the shit out of everybody?
How can you SAY that after they so heroicly gave us the heads up about West Nile, mad cow disease, Ebola, Anthrax, child kidnappers, sharks attacks, global warming, killer bees, and the Commies?

[plasticman]

Heh, one of my neighbours actually died of Creutzfeld-Jacob disease...

But yeah, I'm still waiting for some Anthrax...

[Andail]

It's interesting that this Sars has got so much attention, considering that a decent flu in Sweden can kill far more people than Sars has done yet, worldwide

Fear of the unknown, I presume

[12431]

I think the fact that this virus is new scares the shit out of everyone. agree?

I'm trying to stay calm. Ebola is ten times as dangerous!

[Ali]

You're dead right 12431 and plasticman, this virus is not particularly dangerous (relatively). Literally millions die yearly from Malaria, Cholera TB in the third world AND WE HAVE DRUGS THAT COULD SAVE THEM!

SARS is only important because we haven't stopped rich folks from dying of it yet.

[12431]

ya know, when the ebolavirus came, people had the same reaction. I'm not afraid of ebola, cause they said people who messed around with dead bodies would get it. I haven't messed around with any dead bodies for atleast a week!
yes. in completely safe.

[Dragonrose @ Skizool]

Blimey, that must be a really strange sort of environment to be living in, and scary too. Do they know yet why this outbreak in Toronto happened?

A couple went on vacation to Hong Kong and brought back the virus with them.

Now the WHO has put out a travel advisory telling people not to come to Toronto.  The Prime Minister and the Provincial and Municipal governments are trying to get it lifted though.

Fact: You are more likely to accidently strangle yourself to death in your sleep than you are to die of SARS.  I can't figure out how you would do that though.  You'd think you'd wake up if you were strangling yourself.

[Jimi]

I think it was really stupid that channel 5 put the film Outbreak on TV last night!

[12431]

I think the virus is going down! in norway we're allowed to go to toronto and vietnam.

some norwegian doctors says this is just the beginning of a new more dangerous virus!

what a bunch of bologna!

down in holland and belgium a new virus has appeared. it's only dangeous to birds and chickens though.

[n3tgraph]

bah that virus has been here for quite some time now.

and it really sucks.... a lot of birds are being executed - even if they aren't sick  
even when they have the proper medicine for it

that's holland - everything for money
why not give medicine to birds?
America won't buy ented meat  :

I really don't get it....

[12431]

how long?


two new dudes died from the virus wednesday. in canada. I can't remember the name, but I think it was "ONTARIO" or something like that. (no, I'm not talking about toronto)

one of them were 39 years old. the youngest so far. I'm feeling safer already!

[Mezlo]

12431,

Toronto is the capitol city of the province Ontario. I'm guessing the deaths happened in one of the citys around Toronto, as Toronto is really just the center of greater Toronto. The largest city in Canada whith citys shoulder to shoulder all the way around the lake to Niagra Falls. (I'm from one of those citys)  A very high concentration of people... scary.

M.

[Jimi]

Jut when you think the world's getting better, another peice of shit smacks you in the face.  

[Matt Brown]

I wouldn't worry too much over something like this that you really can't control. It just gets you depressed. Wash your hands, don'e eat crap, live healthly, and if you die of SARS, hey. you did all you could do.

[remixor]

Jut when you think the world's getting better, another peice of shit smacks you in the face.  

I'm not sure this is a very fitting comment in the context of SARS.  The world is hardly getting worse if things like SARS are what you consider to be indicative of the problems we're facing today.  I mean, in the past untold millions died from the bubonic plague, malaria, smallpox, and countless other diseases.  Something like SARS, while not insignificant (and I truly don't mean to minimize the deaths of the vitims, honestly), really is a fairly small phenominon especially when you consider the world population today versus the world population even just 50 years ago, and how relatively few lives SARS has taken.

[Trapezoid]

Yeah... The way I see it is... we got over the bubonic plague, and since then our medical technology has doubled many times over. In this light, I just don't feel very worried.

[Las Naranjas]

Of course there's a suggestion that this is the result of medical technology, but hey.

* Las Naranjas plays Don't Worry, Be Happy

[Femme Stab Mode >:D]

I'm so sick of media scaring the shit out of everyone. When everyone is perpetualy scared they get addicted to it so they watch TV even more and the press digs the shit even deeper to find stuff people should be afraid of. What's with the newspapers saying that SARS is worse than AIDS? A person dies of AIDS every six seconds and so far only 350 died of SARS. Nobody makes a fuss about a much more serious disease because they are used to it. What about Malaria? Cancer? Cholera?

[Matt Brown]

that, and you can't catch AIDS nearly as easily as SARS. AIDS can be prevented by a simple lifestyle, (don't use needles, don't have sex with untested person)

[remixor]

that, and you can't catch AIDS nearly as easily as SARS. AIDS can be prevented by a simple lifestyle, (don't use needles, don't have sex with untested person)

Yes, but the underdeveloped countries in which AIDS is most rampant do not have the same level of education we do in certain other parts of the world, and with such a huge proportion of the population in many countries already infected with HIV, it makes prevention that much more difficult.  I still think it's worse than SARS.

[Matt Brown]

of course remexior. I think that gov. aid ought to be used to educate these people about how exactly they get AIDS, as the current rate of infection is so high, that some countries might cease to exsist in 10 years

[Timosity]

of course remexior. I think that gov. aid ought to be used to educate these people about how exactly they get AIDS, as the current rate of infection is so high, that some countries might cease to exsist in 10 years

True, well not completely, whole countries won't dissappear, it's funny that HIV/AIDS is the commercial virus and there are plenty of other STD's and things like Hep B that are much more common and people don't even know about them.

Education is hard to help these people cause most of the seriously effected areas have non existant education programs, and teaching doesn't always work that well as people tend to rebel against it.

The first mistake or miscomprehension people make is Calling HIV, AIDS, they are 2 separate things, HIV can Lead to AIDS, but there is progress in preventing the oncome.


I saw a documentary on a place in southern Africa, where most of the population had HIV, A lot of the Men who know they are going to die go around raping the women. In the General population the average woman has been raped twice. Very sad, it's out of control, and people who are educated about it, and have HIV, abuse people who have no education.

I haven't heard much about Magic Johnson lately but I don't think he has AIDS yet and it must have been at least 12 years ago now that he was infected with HIV. So It is also possible to live with HIV for longer periods these days.

I think eventually some people will just have a natural immunity to it, and will be the future of Human success, But SARS still might get them.

There's only just been some recent cases of SARS in Australia, I guess it's inevitable.

There is no easy way to deal with diseases, or educate people about them, they are just a natural phenomena, that will probably live amongst us forever, they may even out live us if there are viable hosts.

[Matt Brown]

what I ment in by countries disapearing, is that their population would have decreased so much, and that the % infected would be so great, that government would be almost impossible.


also, magic johnson learned he had HIV a lot sooner then that, I think closer to 5 years ago. I was in 6th or 7th grade then

[Timosity]

Panda I think you miss read what I said or I misread you, but Magic Johnson found out he had HIV pretty early after he was infected with it. I'm just not sure how long ago it was, I thought it was when I was in year 10 which was 12 years ago for me, but it could have been less years ago but I'm sure it was when I was atleast still at school, which is 10 years ago.

So he has survived a while without it developing into AIDS, but being an athlete he's probably quite healthy to start with and having his money probably helps get the best treatment too. A big advantage over people living in undeveloped countries.

[Matt Brown]

maybe. I but remember being in middle school when it was on the news, and then I think he tried to make a comeback into the NBA. I could be wrong. maybe he knew about it before the news story broke and such.

edit::: no actually, you were right. I was wrong. My bad.

[12431]

the prime minister of china says about a 100 people gets sars everyday. it can even be contageous through skincontact.

the virus can't live where it's hot, so i doubt there'l be a spree in afrika.

[Jimi]

It said on the news you only usually get it by going close to people. I'm lucky I don't have a social life!  

[12431]

yes you're so lucky. no, sars is going down!