|
BINSHAAD ABOOBECKER (9 Q) |
|
SARS
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , has brought
a sudden stop to the heart beat of the world.
Unlike the shock of the Iraq War, where there
is now a possibility of lower oil prices, this
is a shock that has no pluses- only minuses.
|
| This
mysterious Pneumonia-like disease has infected 6,000
people killing at least 380 around the world. It
spreads through sneezing and coughing. A doctor
was said to be responsible for infecting 138 people
directly or indirectly in Hong Kong from where it
fanned out. |
| SARS
requires hospitalization - some patients need to
be confined to intensive dare wards and given artificial
ventilation. Hospital facilities in SARS-hit countries
are at breaking point. The health care systems are
coming under the threat of collapse. |
| What
is alarming is that there is no specific drug for
treatment. The death rate is an alarming 5%. Because
of no cure and the rapid spread, SARS has begun
to hit business and commerce at a time when the
global economy is reporting a tardy growth of 2.5%.
It is estimated that SARS might cause $30 billion
loss to the world economy. The travel and tourism
industry is huge; defined widely; it accounts for
about 11% of world output. At the moment, air travel
in much of East Asia is down by some 30%. In the
city most severely hit, there are reports of hotels
with 10% occupancy. The region most affected is
the one that, up to now, has been the main engine
of growth East Asia. By a cruel coincidence, SARS
takes out the most vibrant bits of world economy
just at the moment the world is struggling to recover
from its most severe and depressing downswing for
a decade. |
| SARS
was first noticed in the Guangdong region of China
a few months ago and now it has been discovered
that SARS originated from the civet cats. But there
are various conspiracy theories of how SARS got
out of control. Some weird suggestions included
a bioweapon experiment going wrong and wealthy countries
creating the scare to keep high spenders confined
to their homes for economic reasons. |
| Poverty
and over population are fertile grounds for SARS.
Poor countries, already devastated by epidemics
such as AIDS, Malaria, Cholera, gastroenteritis
etc., would be the worst hit as SARS spreads through
travel. Experts say that scourge is unlikely to
go away. However, people should not be unnecessarily
worried about the epidemic. They should always remember
that ' The battle against the virus has just begun
and may soon be won, but the battle against panic
has to be won fast'. |
