[mburbank]

Scientiffically Sars is very big news right now for three reasons, any of which may change at any moment.
1.) While the method of cantegeon is understood, the degree is not.
2.) There is no model at all yet as to why SARS is fatal in some cases and not in other, nor is their one giving any indiocation how often it's fatal.
3.) There is currently no treatment.

All of these things make it potentially a highly significant disease and not this is just ignorant. It is currently the only disease being watched by the CDC that carries all of the above risk factors. We understand more about SARS daily, and there is every indication we will understand quite bit more very soon, inlcuding quite possibly a test and a vaccine, which may be very close at hand, as SARS does not appear to mutate rapidly the way HIV does. That does not change the fact it's potential is, as of today, completely unknown. Balanced against knowing it is A.) Contegeous, B.) fatal an unkown percentage of the time and C.) Untreatable all make this a disease any scientist would take seriously.

Statistically, as of right now, however, SARS is absolutely insignificant. Drive carefully, wear your seatbelt and wear sunblock even on cloudy days and you'd be taking far better care of yourself than by avoiding Chinese tourists.

That too, could change rapidly.

SARS in neither exgerated or ignored. It is unkown. For those who feel the media is blowing it out of proportion I ask you to ponder for moment the kind of coverage it would be (and would have been) getting were it not for the war.

As for the idea that this is some bio agent... I doubt it sincerely. AIDS looks way more engineered than SARS and I think AIDS occured quite naturally.