Lik

If it's in China, they will just bash the Chinese for spreading it.
peter236 發表於 2009-4-26 16:27

You're quite correct. Because if it were to happen in China, Grandfather will try to put a lid on it for as long as possible. You would never hear about it the moment it breaks out like they did down in Mexico. And then when the news is finally to big to cover up or even contain, the mainland news agency would grossly under-report the number of  cases and more importantly, the number of deaths.

Don't even bother trying to argue with me about this because this was exactly what happened with the avian flu (and to a lesser extent, during SARS as well).

-Lik

Lik

If they delayed the reporting, then they should be bashed. But for SARS, it was a totally new disease that no one even knew about as the WHO thought it was just a seasonal flu. So it was not totally fair to bash them for this.peter236 發表於 2009-4-27 10:59

Don't try to defend the Chinese government's handling of SARS. It was only a mere 6 years ago, and I know (just as everyone else) how the government tried to cover it up until it grew to epic proportions, when the Chinese government finally gave into international pressure and became more forthcoming in revealing details of the disease.

Of course, there were heroes such as 鍾南山, who had the guts to challenge the Central authorities and spoke out about the truth and the disease.

This is why we need transparency and freedom of the press, both of which are sorely lacking in China, but is present in Mexico, which is a relatively poor country.

-Lik

Lik

I am going to HK in 2 wks. should i be worried too? Any other known food or disceases around asia right now?
zuesel 發表於 2009-4-27 12:52

IIRC, China/HK and many other countries in SE Asia has quite a few cases for Hep A and B. I'd recommend getting a vaccine against those, but if you are going in 2 weeks, there might not be enough time. (Not sure if you need to get a 2nd booster shot after the initial one.)

Check with your doctor la.

-Lik

Lik

Isn't it less dangerous than SARS?
ACC-HE 發表於 2009-4-27 14:50

I don't remember what the death rates for SARS and H5N1 avian flu were (40 - 50% seems to ring in my head, but I don't know for sure), and while the current death rates for this swine flu seems to hover around 10% or so, the most worrying trait about it is its capability to transmit from person to person. The last bout of avian flu only had a very small number of cases involving human-to-human transmission, so it was at least easier to contain.

When you have human-to-human transmission, the low-ish death rate can still result in a lot of deaths. And of course, a LOT of people are gonna get sick as well. I hate to be political when it comes to health-related issues, but a flu pandemic, even if it only makes people sick, is gonna make the current recession even slower to recover.

-Lik

Lik

Oddly enough, the swine flu has only been fatal in Mexico. In all other instances, including the 40+ cases in the States, the symptoms of those who have been infected have all been pretty mild. In fact, most don't even require hospitalization and the swine flu virus wouldn't have been discovered if (US) authorities weren't actively looking for them.

Nobody knows why that's the case, but I'd say we don't need to be overly concerned at this point.

-Lik

Lik

Oh, great... the WHO warning just went from phase 3 to phase 4, so they are practically treating this as a pandemic now...

-Lik