Confused by SARS, is there a good reference?

Factual Questions
1

Recent update on SARS in http://start.earthlink.net/newsarticle?cat=7&aid=D7QTHD501_story

Seems most new SARS announcements contradict something I though I knew from before.

Basic question, is there a source for good updated outline and specifics on what is known about SARS? With good particulars but not so much intended for the professionals that we interested parties can’t figure it out?

Sub-questions:

  1. Super-infectors, allegedly people who infect a lot of others, how is this supposed to happen? They have a virulent strain? They don’t cover their coughs or otherwise behave well? They are inherently icky and should be treated as lepers once were? They are a statistical fluctuation, and epidemics usually look like this?

  2. Is it established that SARS is a corona-virus? Or could it be the A + B thing? Or some other virus? I read one place that testing people from China they find that some who supposedly had SARS don’t have the corona-virus, and others have the c.virus antibodies but no SARS symptoms. So, a) could it not be a c.virus after all, or b) like the flu, lots of people are exposed and their immune system throws off the SARS with no problem?–and they don’t get recorded in the numbers as being SARS victims.

  3. What occurs with the people who recover and are discharged from the hospital? Are there lingering effects or are they back to their normal health?

2

If you’re looking for links I suppose you couldn’t go wrong with either the CDC or the WHO.

3

Link: WHO They should have what you;re looking for…

4

Another good resource is the wikipedia article on SARS.

They also have links to other resources, as well as a good report on the Progress of the SARS outbreak, although that hasn’t been updated for more than a week.

5

Yesterday, Jay Leno said that it could stay active on a toilet seat for 4 days!..

Maybe you can watch him?

6

Singapore has a great site http://www.sars.gov.sg that has case data (you can see the first SARS peak at March 17 and the second April 2.

7

This bibliography was sent across an e-mail list that I’m on. It may be of some help.

8

Thanks!

Answers to subquestions:
1 - Superspreaders: Yes, this happens with other contagious diseases. “might be a combination of host, environment, and virus interactions” and might be “other transmission routes, inadequate infection-control measures, or more viral shedding by a patient”. Sounds as if everyone should do their procedures, from individuals covering coughs and washing hands, to governments doing good public health.

2 - It’s a corona-virus.

9
  1. “Superspreaders” - this is unestablished
  2. It is mainly a coronavirus disease. However, whether the presence of other microbes aggravates the illness or not remains to be seen.
  3. A number of patients will not be able to completely recover lung functions.