sars

[chimney]

What happened to SARS? Are people still catching it, has it been cured, where did it go? Or was it media scaremongering until something big happened (like a war in Iraq)?

[nedflanders]

The same urban myth as the Bird flu pandemic, global warming and the millenium bug.

[WaldoMcFroog]

This is one of those 'Spot the odd one out' games, isn't it Ned? ;-)

[jake-the-peg]

You are kidding I hope Ned!

SARS was a very close call! there are still occasional outbreaks in the far easy but we suddenly got a leathal pneumonia that was readily transmitted between people.

Nearly 2000 people died ( it kills 7-15% ). Don't think there's been a confirmed human case for a couple of years but there's a fear that it may be infecting bats in China. SARS makes bird flu look like a nasty cold!

The only reason that a global pandemic didn't kill hundreds of thousands of people was because the World health Organisation was on it like a ton of bricks co-ordinating researchers getting a diagnosis kit out and organising containment.

So the next time you wonder what the point of the UN is remember that a few years back they saved the lives of millions of us