SARS outbreak, why isn't the US heavily affected?

[ray245]

During the SARS outbreak, several developed nations or states like canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, taiwan and Korea if I remember are hit pretty hard by the virus.


So what is the thing that prevent the spreading of the virus in the US? ( A author from a novel tried to say that it's because of the lack of free general health care in the US... )

[Alyrium Denryle]

During the SARS outbreak, several developed nations or states like canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, taiwan and Korea if I remember are hit pretty hard by the virus.


So what is the thing that prevent the spreading of the virus in the US? ( A author from a novel tried to say that it's because of the lack of free general health care in the US... )

That is not as implausible as you might think. Hospitals are actually one of the most unpleasant places you can go in terms of disease. If you are ill or injured, it is best to go there, mind, but if you are not, stay the fuck out. There is a reason health workers are vaccinated for TB and why MRSA outbreaks happen in hospitals.

In countries where they have access to healthcare, a sick person will go to hospital. Where the disease can (and did with SARS IIRC) spread to other patients many of whom are already compromised, and health workers.

In the US the ill isolate themselves at home and do not seek treatment. So mild cases never see the inside of a hospital, which prevents the spread of infection along that route.

Now granted, pandemic disease is not a reason to not have a socialized healthcare system. On the other hand (forced) home quarantine is probably the best way to stop said pandemic, not hospital treatment... does not prevent precautions from being taken to treat them at home... and I am rambling

[PainRack]

During the SARS outbreak, several developed nations or states like canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, taiwan and Korea if I remember are hit pretty hard by the virus.


So what is the thing that prevent the spreading of the virus in the US? ( A author from a novel tried to say that it's because of the lack of free general health care in the US... )

Because as vaunted as air travel is, the US is very far away from China and Hong Kong, and as soon as the news of Hong Kong broke, the US undertook proper disease surveillance techniques. Canada which did receive some cases was also relatively lucky in that they realised an epidemic was going on and could thus shut it down.

Singapore and Hong Kong got screwed due to Chinese officials in Guangzhou being idiots. It probably didn't help that our hospitals didn't really have high standards of infection control and containment....... The SARs episode was a real wake up call to our medical establishment.

Consider that NONE of the epicentres had free healthcare.

[Broomstick]

During the SARS outbreak, several developed nations or states like canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, taiwan and Korea if I remember are hit pretty hard by the virus.


So what is the thing that prevent the spreading of the virus in the US? ( A author from a novel tried to say that it's because of the lack of free general health care in the US... )

Another factor is just plain luck. Society/culture/politics doesn't like the concept of "luck", but random occurrence, or in this case, non-occurrence, is a part of reality.

The US wasn't affected and Toronto was because the infected person(s) in that case took a flight to Toronto and not New York or LA. If they had, we might be saying "Why was New York affected but not Toronto or London?" Once the cases were confirmed in Toronto EVERYBODY started looking for sick passengers on flights because - holy shit! - this thing isn't just in Asia anymore! That helped stopped the spread (this time).

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Because as vaunted as air travel is, the US is very far away from China and Hong Kong, and as soon as the news of Hong Kong broke, the US undertook proper disease surveillance techniques. Canada which did receive some cases was also relatively lucky in that they realised an epidemic was going on and could thus shut it down.

Singapore and Hong Kong got screwed due to Chinese officials in Guangzhou being idiots. It probably didn't help that our hospitals didn't really have high standards of infection control and containment....... The SARs episode was a real wake up call to our medical establishment.

Consider that NONE of the epicentres had free healthcare.

We were largely unprepared and the hospitals were darn complacent. It took our Government some time to react to the whole fiasco and try to calm the panic.

I'm not sure if we have tightened our disease surveillance of unknown diseases since however. That is probably the most important lesson learnt in that crisis; that proper quarantine procedures must be enforced when dealing with anything potentially contagious.

[Zixinus]

In the US the ill isolate themselves at home and do not seek treatment. So mild cases never see the inside of a hospital, which prevents the spread of infection along that route.

The ill can also spread the diseases around their home's neightberhood, while hospitals can have the capacity to isolate highly infectious patients.

[Alyrium Denryle]

In the US the ill isolate themselves at home and do not seek treatment. So mild cases never see the inside of a hospital, which prevents the spread of infection along that route.

The ill can also spread the diseases around their home's neightberhood, while hospitals can have the capacity to isolate highly infectious patients.

True. But what is an emergency room in your standard clinic or hospital? Put it this way, with the way our system is set up, it is better that themild cases stay home, because if they go to hospital with a mild case they will expose everyone there before a doctor even sees them

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

True. But what is an emergency room in your standard clinic or hospital? Put it this way, with the way our system is set up, it is better that themild cases stay home, because if they go to hospital with a mild case they will expose everyone there before a doctor even sees them

The issue would be that the disease is quite easily mistaken for the common cold and that provides a problem with detection. Not least, people might take it likely and not isolate themselves.

[PainRack]

We were largely unprepared and the hospitals were darn complacent. It took our Government some time to react to the whole fiasco and try to calm the panic.

I'm not sure if we have tightened our disease surveillance of unknown diseases since however. That is probably the most important lesson learnt in that crisis; that proper quarantine procedures must be enforced when dealing with anything potentially contagious.

In terms of disease surveillance, that's actually one of the few areas where we did shine in the SARS crisis. The massive political powers the government had were useful and we already possessed significant surveillance expertise from our sex industry in the nineties. And for all we know, our intelligence services.

As for disease surveillance, the changes made in CDC and MOH enhanced the notion and set in place planning. Especially since the possibility of a bio-chemical attack increased attention on this issue. Planning and actual reaction however is a different cup of tea.

The real issue was a simple one of infection control. From what my seniors say, we simply paid no real attention to this and that was part of the reason why infection spread so easily to the visitors and staff.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

The real issue was a simple one of infection control. From what my seniors say, we simply paid no real attention to this and that was part of the reason why infection spread so easily to the visitors and staff.

No we didn't. Which was how the last source vector happened. I don't think we should have blamed the old man at all when it was the hospital staff who should have implemented tighter procedures.