Sars To Return?

[KevinN]

(CNN) -- Scientists believe severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, emerged from the animal markets of southern China a year ago this month, and with fall coming, fears that the virus will make a comeback are brewing.

Dogs, cats, rabbits, badgers and other animals are sold to be eaten as delicacies in these markets, where scientists think the SARS virus jumped from animals to humans, possibly from a wild civet cat.

At its peak, more than 8,000 people in more than 25 countries were infected by SARS and more than 700 died, according to the World Health Organization.

W.H.O. declared the epidemic over in July, but health experts have said the disease is likely to return, much like seasonal outbreaks of flu or pneumonia.

At the height of the SARS epidemic last spring, the Chinese government banned the sale of wild animals in the markets, but lifted the ban in August.

Like the cold, no known treatment

Unlike the flu, SARS has no known treatment. Governments around the globe are working on a vaccine, but W.H.O. said this month that it will take at least two years to produce.

SARS is caused by a coronavirus never before seen in humans and is a member of one of the viral families that cause the common cold. Symptoms can include a high fever, chills, headache and a dry cough.

In China and Hong Kong -- hardest-hit by SARS -- authorities are already taking precautions in case of a re-emergence.

"At this point, people will be very alert in all the hospitals and we have been training the doctors in all the hospitals talking about this," said Dr. Zhong Nanshan with the Guangzhou Institute for Respiratory Diseases. "Now, people are very alert if these kind of symptoms are being reported."

Last month Beijing unveiled a new anti-SARS task force aimed at preventing any further outbreaks, and officials said hospitals and specialist clinics began intensive training for preventing and handling the disease.

In Hong Kong, Dr. Tong Chak-kwan said they are ready at Princess Margaret Hospital, which handled more than a third of all Hong Kong's SARS cases.

"We know what happened last time. We know the shortcomings. I'm not that scared," Tong said. "We've been preparing for the SARS [comeback] all the time."

[francois]

hi'

I read in a news letter form afp, that they had two new cases of sars in China, and they said that they were afraid of a seasonal return of sars ...

no more information than this, but it's form China ...

what I do think, is, that now most countries have an experience about this,

so it wouldn't be like the first time, when nobody had a single idea of what it was,

if it comes back, 'may we say?" we are ready?

as in every medecine field, they have no absolute knowledge of the thing ...

like always a little part of information is missing, and so any kind of epidemy could go on

may be less fast if we know what 's about, but I don't think that we are able to contain

and control such a thing, we cannot lock people in their country

so, let's pray, it's only a local alert ...

francois

[pnustedt]

The first case this year in China is very worrying. A journalist was affected who had no contact with civet cats or other animals who are being cited as the source of the virus (although he did have contact with a rodent in his apartment - mouse or rat). The virus which he had contracted had mutated and differed from previously known SARS viruses and it is not known how or where the virus was contracted.

The second case appears to be fairly straightforward in that it is a mild form of normal SARS and there is a clear link with the animals which are known to be the source.

Whilst indeed there is a high alert, one should not be complacent that the "authorities" have everything under control - if the virus is mutating the symptoms could be different next time around.

[Aitit]

My mum called last night and told me that they are killing all the cats now in China,

as they see them as the main source.

Let's hope that the virus is not spreading around and the media are not jumping on it as last year.

[Guest chingy]

question? do all civet cats carry this virus

aren't civet cats are wild animal, when do people ever learn that wild animal belong in the wild, it's ashame to kill all those cat, sad

[tuky]

Could it just just be me and my beer chang imagination or is there a chance there is some sort of conspiricy in this?

as an example there is a problem in China right now with chemical warfare weapons left over by the Japanese from WWII, now I don't even pretend to know anything about biology or whatever the process might be but is it possible that the SARS virus is just being blamed on the poor old civet cats?

Is it possible for something like the SARS virus to be a mutated form of something that us humans have created? I am certainly not an expert, nor would I consider myself a novice on the subject but from some of the information I have read I would not be at all surprised if the chinese have been playing around in the field of biological warfare and have unwittingly released blah blah blah...

you get the idea

Being the information plebeian that I am I am very interested to know other peoples ideas on this subject...is it possible for something like SARS to appear like this? Why hasn't it been discovered before this? what would be required to start a new virus? human intervention or natural process?

What are your thoughts?

[TizMe]

SARS is over-hyped.

There is still a much higher chance of being killed in a traffic accident during sungkran this year than there is of being infected with SARS.