3 ms·
Seasonal flu is implicated in anywhere from 3k to 49k deaths per year in the US alone (depending on how rough the seasonal variant is). So 774 worldwide from SA
by gojomo 14y ago
Seasonal flu is implicated in anywhere from 3k to 49k deaths per year in the US alone (depending on how rough the seasonal variant is). So 774 worldwide from SARS isn't much of a 'pandemic' to fear.
If over 7k people had confirmed SARS and survived, many more probably had mild cases that were never disambiguated from other seasonal respiratory illnesses. Perhaps they 'superspread' milder viral variants which spoiled the 'herd' for nastier variants.
- bodyfour 14y ago> many more probably had mild cases that were never disambiguated from other seasonal respiratory illnesses It's certainly possible that some people got "low-grade" or even asymptomatic SARS. However, given how it spread like wildfire through exposed populations (such as health-care workers) it does seem that many people were susceptible to the virus and developed severe symptoms when exposed. Therefore it seems unlikely that antibodies built up in the "herd" had much to do with the pandemic ending. The credit goes to the massive public health response, especially isolating anybody with suspected contact. SARS had all the components needed for a bad pandemic; they probably saved tens of millions of lives.