# What is so bad about SARS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205 "2003-04-03T14:46:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/1 "2003-04-03T14:46:31Z")
OK, I haven’t been following this, but the simple question: What are the people dying of? I’ve assumed it was pneumonia. Is that it, or is it something else? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/2 "2003-04-03T14:58:30Z")
They die from suffocation. That is, even with mechanical assistance, their lungs no longer are able to perform respiration. That’s what a severe case of pneumonia does to you. Pneumonia is a build up of liquids/mucous in the lungs. Some diseases (like SARS) damage the tissue so that cell, lynph and/or blood fluids leak into the lungs. This fluid is a great breeding ground for all sorts of bad things which can make things even worse. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/3 "2003-04-03T16:43:16Z")
What puzzles me is why does a new disease that affects dozens of people with flu-like symptoms warrant such attention when there are plenty of diseases that affect (and kill) a lot more people. Is this the first flu-like disease that has ever killed dozens of people? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/4 "2003-04-03T18:01:30Z")
The concern seems to be 1) we’re not exactly sure what kind of virus is cause SARS. It isn’t a standard influenza variant, though it has flu-like symptoms. Until we figure that out, we can’t effectively treat it. 2) It is fairly easily transmissible through air, as nurses and doctors who have treated people with it have caught it. Any new disease which occasionally kills and can be passed through the air is probably a “major” deal to the WHO and CDC type groups. While cancer is bad, you don’t get cancer after sitting next to a cancer carrier on an airplane. 3) It can be deadly (though thankfully it isn’t an absolute death sentence by any means). ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/5 "2003-04-03T18:17:14Z")
It’s new, it’s contagious, it’s not controlled, it has been taking the health personnel out of service (the ones that don’t die are sick-contagious-offthejob for some time just when they are needed), it’s hitting the kind of people that travel between continents. And it’s potentially stoppable now while it’s still small. It’s worth paying attention to. I agree there are other causes of death and destruction that are not being paid attention to. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/6 "2003-04-03T18:53:03Z")
It’s news because it’s a new disease, plain and simple. Although it’s beginning to look like it’s not as contagious as had been feared. It seems to take some fairly close contact with an infected person to catch it. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/7 "2003-04-03T19:09:35Z")
Plus it has a somewhat lenghty dormant period of 10 days before the patient shows symptoms. Pleanty of time to unknowingly infect thousands more by working at a restaurant, or being at any other public place, really. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/8 "2003-04-03T19:29:39Z")
_In reply to The Controvert_ No, it’s because they haven’t yet found an effective means to counter it. Besides, it’s infectious. So although they don’t have an effective cure for cancer, I can’t catch it from you if I sit next to you. I can catch SARS from you that way. And perhaps die of it. Whereas if I catch some other deadly disease already known to doctors, I can be treated using medicine known to be effective against it. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/9 "2003-04-03T19:32:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smeghead \* > It’s news because it’s a new disease, plain and simple. Correct. That’s how “news” got its name, after all. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/10 "2003-04-03T21:31:30Z")
The ramp up issue relating to **The Controvert** ’s question hasn’t been addressed. We are still in the very early stages of a possible epidemic. The flu epidemic during WWI kill 500,000 Americans and millions more worldwide. That flu’s death rate was 3%. SARS deathrate might be 4%. We are a much more populated place now. Do the math. The effects of “just” 2 million Americans dying and 10s of millions being seriously sick in a short period of time would be astonishing. The extra load on the health care system would be unbelievable. For one thing, we don’t have extra artificial respirators nowhere near that number. What happens to society when some sick people are put on respirators and others aren’t? Over 200 people in one apartment block in Hong Kong have got it. It does spread quite well. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/11 "2003-04-03T21:51:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MaryEFoo \* > **And it’s potentially stoppable now while it’s still small.** I heard it had an incubation rate of up to 7 days. If we are very very lucky we can stop it. In my personal opinion, this cats outta the bag. I hate to be an alarmist, but it is possible that it will spread exponentially. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/12 "2003-04-03T23:29:45Z")
6 people in Ontario have died from SARS. Most died from multi-organ failure secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which often has a miserable prognosis (and has many causes besides SARS). The incubation rate for SARS averages 4-7 days for most cases and may reach a maximum of 10-14 days. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/13 "2003-04-04T00:09:23Z")
Seems pretty catchy-dangerous to me: "Someone then spread SARS to the Amoy Gardens apartment complex. At least 240 people in Amoy Gardens got sick. People living in apartments 7 and 8 of many floors in one building were sickened, raising speculation that the disease was carried vertically through a sewer or drainage leak." [http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/5546294.htm](http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/5546294.htm) ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/14 "2003-04-04T00:10:44Z")
What happens to the people it doesn’t kill, do they get over it? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/15 "2003-04-04T00:25:32Z")
Presumably that which does not kill you, only makes you stronger. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/16 "2003-04-04T03:21:20Z")
Besides the obvious health effects, the world economy is now being affected. Travel to Asia has practically dried up overnight. According to an NBC News report one San Francisco travel agency has lost 90 percent of their business. The report went on to say that major electronics manufacturing is closing down right and left. This will affect computer sales, TVs, MP3 players, CD players, practically all consumer electronics worldwide. Go to [http://www.msnbc.com/news/885653.asp?0cv=HA00](http://www.msnbc.com/news/885653.asp?0cv=HA00) and watch the video report yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/17 "2003-04-04T03:24:20Z")
Actually, an infected person only spread SARS when he or she is exhbiting the symptoms (high fever and etc.) so while the virus is dormant it shalln’t be spreading… or at least this is what the Health Ministry told us. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/18 "2003-04-04T11:20:17Z")
Problems with SARS: 1. It’s new 2. We don’t know for sure what causes it 3. We don’t know for sure how it spreads (airborne vs. bodily fluid, for example). It’s believed it’s contagious only during the symptom phase - but no one knows for sure. There ARE viruses that are contagious before you show symptoms. 4. We don’t know the incubation period 5. We don’t have a treatment for it 6. It’s already jumped continents by way of airplanes. Any new disease is cause for concern. While we have some idea of how it passes from one person to another (there’s only so many different ways) we aren’t sure exactly how, or how easily. For instance, is it contact with fluids like phlegm, or through airborne droplets released by coughing? How long does it survive outside the body? Can ordinary household bleach kill it, and how strong a bleach solution? How long before an exposed person either comes down with it or is not going to get it? What do we do if you do get sick? (They are experimenting with various treatments). And those pesky airplanes…! But to answer another question - it doesn’t kill everybody. The majority of folks do recover and get well. But until they do, they’re pretty darn sick. Most don’t need respirators. Problem is, there is a MUCH higher likelihood of dying from this than the common cold or average flu. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vampire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Space\_Vampire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vampire)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/19 "2003-04-04T15:25:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*What happens to the people it doesn’t kill, do they get over it? \*\* You’d think that would be an obvious question, but media outlets seem to prefer to get hysterical rather than mentioning that, as far as I can determine, yes, people get over it. Getting this thing isn’t a death sentence. From what I’ve heard, most or all of the fatalities were people who were pretty frail in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Lampare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lampare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lampare)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205/20 "2003-04-04T15:53:10Z")
I have a related question regarding SARS and other flu-like illnesses. Why does it seem that these types of maladies always originate in Asia, particularly in China? Logic tells me that since there is such a huge pool of germ incubators (people), the chances are statistically greater that a new virulent mutation of a common bug will develop in countries with higher populations. But it still seems that Asia launches more than its fair share of diseases. Any thoughts out there on why this would be so? By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve posted to the forums, so if I am violating protocol by asking this question here please be gentle with me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-sars/166205.md?page=2)